Songs I'd Never Learned
by SixStringCoffeeBean
Summary: Serenity's pregnancy test comes back positive, and she's positive the baby is Kaiba's. Though she successfully keeps the news from her brother and keeps her distance from the baby's father at first, her life is turned upside down when a strange twist of fate forces her to move into the Kaiba mansion. [Takes place six years after the end of the series. SxS, some JxM]
1. Serenity really doesn't hook up

Well, here I am, fifteen years after I started on ffdotnet, with the fandom and the ship that started it all! xD This is a story that's been in progress for over a year (!) and I would venture to say that 80% of it is already written. The good news there is that updates will be pretty regular and there won't be any kind of hiatus. I've had so much fun with this one, and I'm so excited to share it with the world. I think I'm finally ready!

Music is an integral part of my writing process and SO many songs have gone into this story, but the title comes from the one that has come to encapsulate the whole thing for me: Passing Afternoon, by Iron and Wine.

 **This story begins about six years after the original series ended. Seto and the others are is in their early-mid 20s, Mokuba and Serenity are like 19-20.** I don't own any of the songs I'll reference (or Yu-Gi-Oh itself, of course!)... but I hope you enjoy! r/r plz. ;)

* * *

"Is something the matter, Seto?"

Mokuba looked up at his older brother, unable to hide his concern. Though they saw one another often enough, it was usually either around the house or because he took the initiative to venture up to Seto's top floor office and take up residence in one of the chairs in front of his desk. It was highly unusual that Seto called him from work and ask him to come by.

Something told Mokuba that the news probably wasn't going to be good.

His brother sighed.

"Mokuba, you know how I've always lectured you about being _so_ careful when you do whatever it is that you do with all those girls you go out with on Saturday nights?"

Mokuba nodded, but his mind had already started racing.

 _Had something happened? Was one of his ex-girlfriends… pregnant? Infected with something? Either way, why on earth would she – whoever she was – call his brother before calling him? Was she going to try to extort them for money or something?_

"Seto, I – "

"It's not about you, Mokuba," his brother sighed. "It's… Serenity."

Mokuba's fear quickly transformed into confusion.

"Serenity?" he laughed. "Serenity Wheeler? Seto, you know I'd never do anything with Joey's sister. She's too good of a friend, and also, she's not really my type."

"Again, Mokuba, it's _not you_. It's Serenity and… _me_. I just got off the phone, and I think…" Seto paused, and sighed deeply. "I can barely even _say_ it. Okay. I might have gotten Serenity Wheeler pregnant."

Mokuba felt his veins turn to ice. The entire office was so silent that he could hear the knocking of the radiator pipes. His mind replayed his brother's words over and over, but the repetition didn't make them any more logical.

 _His_ brother, get someone pregnant?

Get _Serenity_ pregnant?

Of the two Kaiba brothers, Mokuba knew that he certainly came closer to fulfilling the wealthy playboy stereotype. As soon as he reached his late teens and Seto (in spite of his reservations) gifted him with his first car and credit card, he had started doing pretty well for himself where girls were concerned. He wasn't a player, he wouldn't say, but he enjoyed companionship without the constraints of commitment. Each weekend brought a new slew of phone numbers and nights out, some secured with his own charm and some falling into his lap – more or less just perks of bearing the name Kaiba.

Even as he neared twenty-two years old, Seto had never really taken advantage of those types of perks.

Mokuba had begged and pleaded and cajoled for a year at least, but he could never get his brother out from behind his desk long enough to take advantage of being young and rich. As time passed, it became clear that Seto was going to remain the same tightly-wound perfectionist and workaholic he always had been. Eventually Mokuba gave up extending invitations, but it didn't mean he resented his brother or even admired him any less. Of course, he wished Seto would have a bit of fun once in awhile, but there was something nice about feeling like he knew his brother inside and out and always knew what to expect.

However – if this news was anything to go by - he hadn't known Seto quite as well as he thought he had.

Mokuba paused and swallowed.

"How… how did that happen?" he asked.

Seto scowled at him, and Mokuba instantly realized how his question had been interpreted.

"Well, obviously, uh, I know how it happened. But what were the circumstances, I mean? Was it some kind of hook-up, or were you two… seeing each other?"

Seto collapsed into his desk chair and sighed.

"It's complicated, as you might imagine. It was some of both. We had talked a few times, and there had been some… _overtures_ … mostly from her, as you may have guessed. But it was just an accidental, one-time thing."

"Well, you've told me ten thousand times… one time is enough."

Seto sighed and gazed over at his brother.

"Apparently, I was right."

The two sat in silence for a minute. Finally, Mokuba smiled a little.

"I know it's not what you wanted – "

"Not what I wanted? It's the worst possible outcome I could have ever imagined."

"Well, yeah, but I'm just saying, I'm a little impressed. I never thought you would be the one out of the two of us to make this mistake."

Seto laughed humorlessly.

"Surprise."

Mokuba looked thoughtful for a second, but suddenly his face fell.

"Joey's going to _kill_ you!"

"I give you this kind of news, and _that's_ where you mind goes?" Seto demanded. "Joey Wheeler is the least of my worries."

"Well still, you know he's going to be really pissed. He's always been so protective of his baby sister. He wouldn't even let Tristan or Duke near her, and he likes them. He hates you more than anyone. Knowing that the two of you…" Mokuba's voice started to trail off, but he finally added, "well, he's not going to be happy."

"I don't know why it's his business," Seto countered. "Serenity is her own person, and it was… certainly consensual."

Mokuba made a face, but then he started to laugh.

"Good for you, bro. Well, good at the time, I guess. But still - when did this all go down? Where were you? Where was _I?_ "

For what may have been the sixth or seventh time in as many minutes, Seto sighed. But it was the kind of sigh that indicated that he was about to start a story, so Mokuba leaned in.

"It was about a month and a half ago," his brother began. "It started the Friday night that you stayed over at the game shop for Joey's birthday party. Apparently – from what Serenity said – he and Mai got in a terrible fight."

Mokuba laughed.

"Did they ever."

"Well, Mai was so angry she left, and Serenity went with her. Apparently the two of them went downtown and Mai kept drinking."

"That makes sense," Mokuba agreed. "Mai was barely even buzzed at the party, which is really unusual for her. It's also part of the reason she started the fight, I think."

Seto continued as though he hadn't been interrupted.

"Well, as you can imagine, the night went downhill from there. Mai got very drunk and ran into an old friend from school. They all danced for a while, but eventually Mai was getting sloppy, and the friend said that she would take her home. Serenity agreed to that, but it meant that she was going to be out by herself, and she doesn't like to do that. So she called me while she waited for a ride."

"I had no idea you two were that close," Mokuba said. "I mean, obviously. I didn't even know you talked."

"Well, that's another story altogether. I offered to take her back to her apartment that night, but she didn't want to go, because she figured that Joey would be there and he would be mad that she took Mai's side."

Mokuba grinned.

"…and I was still at the game shop."

Seto crossed his arms, looking embarrassed. It was an unusual look for him, and one that very few – perhaps only Mokuba – ever got to witness.

"You can probably assume the rest," he finished. "I dropped her off the next morning before you got back. She and I have only talked once or twice since then, and things have been awkward. She called me the second the test came back positive, though. It's… definitely mine."

"I mean, I'd guess that," Mokuba said. "Serenity really doesn't hook up. Except with you, apparently."

Mokuba grinned, and Seto scowled.

"Please be serious."

"I am!" Mokuba insisted. "I'm as serious about this as I am about anything. This is big news! This is going to change a lot of things. Who has she told?"

"Nobody," Seto said sternly. "Outside of the two of us, you are the _only_ one who knows. So you're not to breathe a word."

"Of course. But it can't stay secret too long. She and Joey live together. He's going to find out sooner or later."


	2. It was a one-time thing

So I am typically really strict with myself about not posting more than one chapter at once... but I've decided that I'm going to let this fic be the exception to that rule. This story is equally about Seto and Serenity; I want introduce it from each of their perspectives. Here's her chapter. r/r plz. ;)

* * *

Serenity sat at her brother's kitchen table, her head resting on the cool, smooth wood finish. The cell phone that she had just used to call Seto Kaiba sat on the same table a few inches away, beside an empty takeout container and the sunglasses she had been wearing when she got home.

Serenity replayed the conversation in her head over and over, but it still seemed completely unbelievable. She had wondered at first if she should call him at all or try to tell him in person, but she honestly could barely muster up the courage to pick up the phone and press the buttons – so clearly getting in her car, driving to his building, taking the elevator up to his top floor office, and staring him in the face as she told him without any sort of introduction or warning that she was pregnant with his illegitimate child was altogether off the table.

So she had called.

He didn't pick up until the third ring, and when he did, all he'd said was "Kaiba."

Not even hello.

Things had been uncomfortable between them since the night of Joey's birthday – or "that night," as she had come to think of it – but somehow she had still hoped that she might get something better than a quick, one-syllable afterthought of a greeting.

Apparently not. She wondered lamely if she should just be happy that he had picked up at all.

Serenity had stammered a little bit at first, which clearly annoyed him, but she finally managed to get the word "pregnant" out – and after that, she'd had Kaiba's full attention. Of course, he had demanded multiple times how she knew for sure, and she had to reassure him that she had taken three pregnancy tests – three different brands from two different stores – and the indicators were clear on all of them.

He fell silent for a while after that, and she knew that she had convinced him. To his credit, he never asked if it could be anybody else's. At least he had faith that she would be honest about that. Or, more likely, she had just been shy and clumsy enough that night that he had figured she wasn't getting a lot of practice with other men.

When Kaiba finally spoke again, it was to give her cold and straightforward instruction.

"Meet me at my office tomorrow. Try to be there around three o'clock, I'll be between meetings. We'll… figure something out."

She had thanked him – which had seemed odd even at the time, but it was the only thing she could think of to say – and hung up the phone.

And so she sat.

Though she was annoyed at his brusqueness, it was Seto Kaiba, after all. And besides, even normally warm, kind people might react in a less-than-ideal way to that kind of revelation. Serenity had been stunned speechless when she saw the pink plus sign, and she had the week of suspicion once she missed her period as something of a warning. She also had time to collect her thoughts before she had to say anything to anyone else. She could only imagine how it would have been to get no warning and then be put on the spot and forced to answer immediately or come up with some kind of solution.

Hopefully things would be better when they could talk face-to-face.

Sighing and getting to her feet, Serenity turned on the kettle. She had been drinking mostly herbal tea lately, which was a good because it meant she wouldn't have to swear off coffee and go through the caffeine withdrawal. Once she had gotten over the initial shock and horror of the positive pregnancy test the day before, thoughts of all the things that she would have to give up started surfacing. There would be no more beers with Joey and the gang or hot yoga classes on Saturday mornings. No more spoonfuls of raw cookie dough. The bottom line was, she would have to be a lot better to her body.

Well, that is, if she decided to keep the baby.

That particular thought had come to her a couple of hours later, and it had shocked her at first. She had always imagined getting pregnant one day, but ending a pregnancy had never been something she pictured for her future. A voice in the back of her mind reminded her that she had also imagined any future pregnancies occurring in a stable living situation with a kind and affectionate partner – not at nineteen, with an emotionally vacant CEO who had never even taken her on a real date. However, Serenity still wasn't sure. Even if this was very poorly timed, the thought of ending it before it had really even begun seemed sort of sad. She had decided after another minute or two that the whole train of thought made her feel anxious, and she decided to put it aside for the time being.

For whatever reason, as uncertain and scary as they were, she preferred worries about being pregnant to worries about ending a pregnancy.

Serenity took a sip of her tea and leaned back against the counter. It was barely even seven o'clock, and she already felt like going to bed.

The knob rattled at the front door, and Serenity nearly had a heart attack. She had a fleeting thought that it might be Kaiba, desperate to talk to her after having mulled over the news, but she when she had a second to think that over rationally, she almost laughed. Kaiba was not the type who would jump in his car, race over to her apartment, and grab her hands to talk over their future.

Clearly, he was the type to respond to the news "I'm pregnant" by scheduling a meeting with her at his office within a perfectly reasonable 24-hour window.

And of course, the person walking into the apartment at that moment was just Joey.

"Hey sis," he said, shutting the door behind him and wiping his sneakers on the mat. "What's up?"

"Oh, you know," Serenity shrugged. "Just hanging out."

"Mm."

Joey had opened the fridge, and he was scanning its contents with intense scrutiny. Eventually he spotted a carton of milk, and after opening it (and sniffing it once or twice) he upended it and drained most of the carton in what was presumably one gulp. Seeing Serenity staring at him, he grinned apologetically.

"You weren't planning on eating cereal or something were you?"

Serenity chuckled.

"No, nothing like that. I'm sorry, I guess I was just spacing out. I've been really tired today."

It wasn't a lie – she was completely exhausted. She just wasn't going to go into why.

"Get to bed early then, get some extra sleep," Joey suggested. "Flu season's in full swing, you wanna be at the top of your game."

"You're right," Serenity agreed lamely. "I'll probably just read for a little while. Are you going back out?"

"Yeah, I mostly just came home to change out of my work clothes. Tristan has the new Xbox and we were going to see if we could set it up on the big TV at the Game Shop."

"Sounds like fun."

"Yeah. Hope so. Hey, are you sure you're okay?"

Serenity nodded quickly.

"Yeah. Like I said, just a little tired and stressed."

"Okay," Joey replied. "But still, go get some rest. I'll tell the guys you said hey."

"Thanks."

Serenity gave him a quick hug and headed down the hall to her room, tea in hand. She was going to try to get some extra sleep that night, but not because she was worried about the flu. Serenity knew that she would need to be one hundred percent focused when she came face-to-face with Kaiba.

* * *

2:45 pm the following day…

* * *

As Serenity approached the gleaming blue glass building, her heart began to pound. This wasn't going to be an easy meeting – if the phone call was anything to go by, at least.

Knowing in advance how tough it was going to be to walk through the doors and assert herself, Serenity had bolstered her confidence by dressing up a little. The outfit she had picked out was feminine and flattering, but also kind of business-y – which oddly seemed appropriate for the situation. It also seemed like something Kaiba would approve of. The denim blouse and cropped slacks were some of her favorites, and it had also occurred to her that she should probably enjoy them while they still fit.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the revolving door – and was immediately met on the other side by a stern-looking woman with a clipboard.

"Miss Wheeler, I presume?"

"…yes, that's me."

Without waiting for any further response – or giving any further instruction – the woman turned and walked down a hallway. Serenity assumed that she was supposed to follow, so she jogged for a moment to catch up. About the time she fell into step with the woman, they came to a stop in front of an elevator.

"Mr. Kaiba should just be getting out of his meeting," the woman explained as she pressed the button.

Serenity nodded. She couldn't come up with any sort of response, and it didn't seem as though this person was the type who would like to make small talk regardless. The ride to the top was very silent. Serenity briefly wondered if her companion had been given the reason for the meeting, but she highly doubted it. Kaiba was not the kind of man to brief people he considered "beneath" him on his personal business.

To Serenity's surprise, the elevator stopped about halfway up.

"I have some documents to pick up for Mr. Kaiba," the woman said stiffly. "I've pressed the button for the penthouse office for you, so you have only to stay put and wait. Regards."

With that, the woman stepped out into the hallway, leaving a stunned Serenity alone with the hum of the elevator and the pounding of her own heart. Before she could protest, the doors had closed and she began her ascent.

As she rose upward, her ears popping from the altitude, Serenity rehearsed things she could say when she finally got to the top. A lot of what she said would depend on Kaiba's attitude, of course… would he be brusque, or would he take more time with her? How many opinions would he have about the situation – or would he just take her lead?

The more she thought about it, the more she realized: she honestly had no idea what to expect.

As the elevator jolted to a stop, Serenity's mind went blank.

Taking a deep breath as the doors opened, she stepped across the metal threshold.

The elevator had taken her up to a single room, but it was so wide she could barely even see the floor-length windows on the other side. There weren't any curtains on any of the windows surrounding the room, but they all had shades pulled about three-quarters of the way to the floor. Apparently Kaiba didn't like a lot of light when he worked. There also wasn't much furniture – only a few clusters of firm-looking couches and a couple of potted trees. The room smelled sterile, like cleaning supplies and new carpet.

"Are you going to come in?" a voice demanded.

Serenity jerked her head up, and she saw – all the way on the other side of the room – Kaiba sitting at a desk looking at her over the screen of a computer.

"Yeah, sorry," she said, immediately starting to speed walk over to where he sat. "I couldn't see you from all the way over there."

Kaiba smirked a little.

"It's fine. Go ahead, take a seat."

Serenity did as she was told and sunk into one of the two chairs in front of his desk.

"So…" she started. "How have you been?"

Rather than responding, Kaiba sighed.

"Are we really going to do this?" he asked. "Act like we're old friends, or like this situation is normal?"

Serenity paused, taken aback.

"Well, we don't have to," she replied. "I guess… I was just trying to be nice."

Kaiba didn't say anything, but his piercing blue eyes locked with hers – and rattled her down to her very core. The feeling she got was something like nostalgia, but it was nostalgia for an event that had only ever happened once and seemed dreamlike even at the time.

Kaiba smiling his cryptic smile as he brushed a lock of hair behind her ear…

Kaiba reaching over to refill her champagne…

Kaiba raising his eyebrows as she sucked on the cherry from the bottom of the glass…

Kaiba pulling her onto his lap on the black velour sofa, placing sharp, bold kisses at the place where her neck met her shoulder…

Titillating though they were, those memories seemed very out of place in the current situation – as though they had occurred with a different man than the one sitting before her.

"It was a one-time thing, Serenity," Kaiba said stiffly. "We weren't planning a future – at least, I certainly wasn't – and then this happened somehow."

"Yeah," Serenity agreed. "I guess… I guess that about sums it up."

"Have you decided what you're going to do about it?"

The words brought Serenity back to her thoughts from earlier – the ones she had intentionally put out of her mind. The wave of nausea that came with them made her realize that somehow, in the back of her mind, she had already made the decision.

"I'm going to keep it," she announced, surprising even herself. "I'm going to have the baby."

Kaiba's eyes widened.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. It's… hard to think about, but it's what I want. I don't know where I'm going to live or what I'm going to tell my brother, but I don't want to get rid of this. I want to have it."

That statement was something of a manifesto for Serenity, and she felt empowered for having said it. Though she had expected Kaiba's brusque attitude to unnerve her into silence, it miraculously had the opposite effect: in the face of such bluntness and lack of sentimentality, her own wants and needs had become somehow clearer.

"Well, that brings me to my next question," Kaiba said, licking his finger to help separate two papers that had gotten stuck together. "And that is, what do you want from me?"

Serenity paused.

"What do I… want?"

"That's right. Do you want a check each month, or should I just find you a property where you can live free of charge? Are you going to want to sign some sort of custody agreement? Whose name do you want your baby to take? Because let me tell you, the Kaiba name is going to come with a heavy burden and lot of expectation – for you as well as for your child. I could understand you wanting to avoid that."

And just like that, Serenity's newfound resolve crumbled. She stared at him, unblinking.

"I just... I guess I assumed you would be a little more involved than that," she said, her voice coming out more quietly than she expected.

To her horror, Kaiba laughed.

Laughed.

"What?" he demanded. "You wanted me to sell all my shares and properties so I could move in with you and your friends and play house? Be best friends with your brother, stay up late playing board games and taking care of a baby like some sort of TV sitcom? I know that Mokuba may like drinking and killing time with your group, but trust me, that is not something I'm waiting on the edge of my seat to take on, baby or not."

Despite herself, Serenity felt her lip start to quiver. She was determined he not see what he'd done to her, so she bit down hard enough that she thought she might have tasted blood.

"Fine," she replied, getting to her feet. "That's how you want it, then. I understand."

Seto folded his hands and sat back in his chair, but if he had any idea of the magnitude of the blow he had just dealt, he gave no indication.

"I'll let you know about that check then," she said, picking up speed on the way back to the elevator. "I'll have my people call your people. Or whatever."

She wanted to look back over her shoulder to see his expression, but she resisted the urge – lest he see the tears that had started rolling down her cheeks.


	3. The look on her face said it all

Thanks for all the favs and follows! I'm glad people are excited to see where this will go. :) Thanks for the review, also, The-Artful-Trickster! Yup - I'm back! I hope this stays original and engaging, and I promise there will be twists, haha. Kaiba will be sort of cold for the first half, I guess - but certain things will happen that will make him have to suck less, at least temporarily. And that's all the spoiling I will be doing. ;)

Enjoy - r/r and fav/follow if you like!

* * *

When Serenity got back to the bottom floor of the KaibaCorp tower, she was crying hard enough that most of her surroundings were little more than large blurs. One of the blurs looked like it might have been the woman who met her at the door when she arrived, but Serenity didn't have any desire to talk to that woman again - ever, really, but especially not in that moment. She just wanted _out_ , so despite the noise around her, she kept her head down and kept walking.

Finally, after a couple of wrong turns, Serenity was back out in the warmth of the evening. She was surprised to see that the sun was starting to set. Though it felt like she had been in and out in a moment, it must have been at least a half hour.

Taking a deep breath, Serenity wiped the back of her hand across her eyes. She was sure her makeup was all over the place, but she couldn't bring herself to care about that, either. She just needed a place to sit, breathe, and take stock of her situation.

A café. Perfect.

As Serenity approached the building, with its striped green awnings and shiny windows, she noticed that there was a patio hidden by some trees outside. She would be able to sit down on without having to walk inside and talk to anyone, which was probably the best news she had gotten all day. Though the world was still a little bit blurry, she managed to find a vacant table, take a seat, and become momentarily consumed by her despair.

The empty chair across from her seemed to mock her, suggesting that if her situation were normal or she was getting the treatment she deserved, Kaiba would be sitting there drinking a cup of tea and talking about their plans. She smiled, but not in a happy way.

Had she been naive to expect Kaiba to want anything to do with her or the baby? Was it an unrealistic expectation for him to treat her with compassion and sympathy, at the very least?

Though Serenity had thought originally that being alone was what she wanted, it was making her a little bit crazy. She needed to talk to somebody.

But who could she call?

Serenity's thoughts immediately went to Téa, but admittedly the idea didn't really excite her. The older girl had always been very nice to her, but it didn't feel like an organic nice-ness. It seemed much more like niceness born of pity and obligation. Besides, even though Téa was always overflowing with speeches and advice, none of it would do Serenity any good in this situation. She could say without near certainty that Téa had never dealt with anything like this.

The next person Serenity thought of was Yugi, and she had to admit she liked that idea a little better. Out of all of her brother's friends, she had always liked him the best. She felt like she could pour out her heart to him without him judging or patronizing, but the bottom line was that it wouldn't be fair to him. She couldn't ask him to keep something like that from Joey. In fact, that much was probably true for any of Joey's friends.

Or maybe it wasn't.

There was one person who immediately came to mind - someone Serenity thought she might be able to count on to treat this matter (and her) with the necessary care.

Mai.

Serenity laughed a little at the thought. The one person she could trust to both not judge her for sleeping with Joey's worst enemy and not tell Joey about it was incidentally Joey's own girlfriend. It really made it sound like the two of them - Mai and Joey - had a rotten or mistrustful relationship, but Serenity knew that really wasn't the case. Mai was just a little older than the others and perhaps a little wiser. She had a strong drive to protect fellow women, no matter what that meant for her. Secrets were a burden she could bear.

Mai wasn't exactly her best friend, but then again… any port in a storm. And after all, Mai had played a role in everything that went down the night of Joey's birthday.

Serenity took a rattling breath and flipped through her phone until she found Mai's number. As it rang she got a quick compulsion to hang up and pretend it had been an accidental dial, but she muscled past it.

"... hello? Serenity?"

Mai's surprised tone attested to how unusual the call was.

"Hey," Serenity said shyly. "Can you talk for a second?"

"Sure. One thing first - Joey's okay, right?"

Of course. Mai would assume the call was about Joey, ostensibly the only person or thing the two of them had in common.

"Yeah, it's actually not about him," Serenity said. "I just… really need to talk about some things. Are you busy right now?"

"I'm just leaving the bank," Mai replied. "Do you want to meet somewhere? Where are you?"

"I'm at this little cafe downtown, near KaibaCorp."

Mai laughed.

"Interesting choice of landmark. But sure - I'll be there in ten or fifteen minutes. Hey, are you sure you're okay? You sound sad."

"I guess. I mean, I'm safe or whatever… I'm just in kind of a mess. We'll talk about it when you get here. See you then."

Serenity hung up the phone, which she realized afterward may have seemed a little bit rude, but she didn't have the energy to make up pleasantries and end the conversation more naturally. When Mai got there, all of it would make sense.

Putting away her phone, Serenity took a sighing breath. A part of her wanted a cup of tea, but not enough to get up and interact with a stranger long enough to ask for it. She felt very self-conscious sitting there by herself, not drinking or eating anything, but something about her solitude made her feel defensive and powerful. She wondered for a moment if that's how Kaiba went through life; feeling alien and and strange and making up for it with standoffishness and anger. It was lonely, but she had to admit, it was empowering.

After a few more minutes of aimless reflection, Serenity saw Mai's thick mane of blonde hair around the corner of the restaurant.

"Hey - over here," Serenity called.

Mai looked up, and seeing Serenity, changed direction and walked through the gate to the patio.

"Hey kiddo," she said, giving Serenity a one-armed hug and sitting down across from her. "You look like you've been crying."

"Yeah… guess so."

"Is it trouble with your brother?"

Serenity inwardly groaned. She had already told Mai it wasn't about Joey. This was what she hated about her brother's friends; they had a way of treating her very one-dimensionally. It seemed to her sometimes as though her only substance as a person existed as a result of her connection with Joey, who was an _actual_ person to them. Kaiba certainly didn't do that, even if his reason was simply that he didn't want to think about the fact that he was making out with Joey Wheeler's sister.

In spite of her frustration, Serenity decided against unloading all that on Mai, who had done her a great service by showing up at all.

"It's not," she said. "In fact, it would mean a whole lot to me if you don't mention to him any of what I'm going to tell you."

Mai raised her eyebrows.

"And here I thought you two told each other everything."

"Usually, we do," Serenity agreed. "But once you hear this, I think you'll understand why I'm asking you to keep it between us, at least for right now."

"Now I'm really curious," Mai said, laughing a little. "What, are you pregnant or something?"

Serenity was struck speechless, but apparently the look on her face said it all.

"Oh my God, I was kidding," Mai whispered. "But you really are, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Serenity relented. "I found out yesterday morning."

A moment of silence followed, and Serenity found herself trying to read Mai's expression. There was a tiny bit of giddiness at the juiciness of what she had just found out, but to her credit, that was mostly weighed out by shock and horror on Serenity's behalf.

"Well… whose is it?" Mai asked. She paused a moment, then added, "Do you know?"

Serenity felt her stomach flop, both from the nervousness that came with knowing she was about to say the name out loud and because the answer brought to mind that afternoon's meeting, and thinking of it made the sting fresh all over again.

"Okay, this is the part I really need you to not tell Joey," Serenity said, taking a deep breath and steeling herself for the outburst she knew would inevitably follow. "It's… Kaiba's."

Serenity didn't even realize she had intentionally broken eye contact until she found herself wondering why Mai wasn't talking. When she found the courage to look up, she saw Mai staring back blankly, all traces of amusement - and indeed, of color - missing from her features.

"... Kaiba's?" Mai finally repeated blankly.

"Look, I know. It's not even like we were seeing each other, really. He used to come into the coffeehouse where I worked last fall, and we exchanged numbers so he could start calling his order in ahead and wouldn't have to wait at the counter. Then, somehow, we started texting - mostly when one of us was drunk - and it became sort of a thing, I guess."

Mai's smile had come back a little bit.

"If I were you, I would have been afraid that Joey would see the name come up on my phone."

Serenity rolled her eyes.

"Trust me, he's not in my phone under his real name."

"Serenity, this is a side of you I didn't know about," Mai said, shaking her head a little bit. "Not that that's a bad thing! If I were Joey's sister, there would be things about me I wouldn't share. Hell, he's my boyfriend, and there are things I don't. But… how did the _sex_ happen?"

Something about that made Serenity want to flinch, but she should have known that Mai could be counted upon not to mince words.

"It was the night of Joey's birthday - you remember how crazy things got."

"Actually, I don't remember much," Mai admitted, laughing a little. "Which in itself is a testament to how crazy things got. But the last I remember seeing you, you were dancing at a bar downtown. How you get from there to… ?"

"Well, it was getting really late, and you decided to go with those people we ran into. I told you it was okay - I guess I was sort of partied out. I was just drunk enough to text… _you know who_ , but I promise I didn't have any weird intentions or anything. I mostly just wanted to talk while I waited for a cab. But he offered to come pick me up."

Mai raised an eyebrow.

"That seems out-of-character for him."

"I thought so too," Serenity agreed. "But when he got there, I realized that he was pretty drunk too. I mean, he definitely wasn't driving, though, he had his chauffeur with him."

"This just gets more and more ridiculous," Mai said, laughing quietly and shaking her head. "So Kaiba drunkenly shows up downtown based on a text message from you, and you crawl into the back of his limousine."

"I mean… yeah. That about sums it up. I tried to talk to him a little bit, but he wasn't really in a talkative mood, I guess."

Serenity started to blush a little, and Mai laughed outright in spite of herself.

"Did you do it in the limo?"

Serenity winced.

"Yes. He was a little insistent, but not, like, pushy or anything. I was pretty sober by that point, and it was definitely something we both wanted. At least at the time."

Mai's jaw dropped, her eyes alight with the insanity of what she was hearing.

"Oh my God, I still haven't pulled that off! Sex in a limo! It's on my bucket list for sure. I mean - not with Kaiba, of course," she added quickly. "Not that there's anything wrong with him, he's just so… you know… _Kaiba_."

"He is that."

"So was it a one-time thing?" Mai demanded.

"Well, maybe two-time," Serenity admitted. "There was also the next morning."

Mai looked like she wanted to laugh, but she settled for smiling and shaking her head in disbelief.

"This is totally wild. I need to get a grip, though. You called me, and it probably wasn't just to tell me the story. Unless it was, of course, and that's fine too. But it sounded like you wanted something."

Serenity sighed.

"Really just mercy, I guess. And some advice. I have _no_ idea where to go from here. When I told Kaiba, he was totally unhelpful."

"You already told him?"

"I did," Serenity admitted. To her dismay, she felt the sting of tears creeping back up in her throat. "And it was actually awful. He was really dismissive and said stuff about Joey and basically just invited me out of his life. He offered me money, which is nice, I guess, but - "

"Hold on," Mai interrupted. "You told him that you were pregnant with his child and he was _rotten_ to you?"

"I mean, rotten might be a little bit of a stretch - "

"That's unacceptable," Mai insisted, getting to her feet. "It's his fault as much as it's yours - well, not _fault_ , I guess, but you know what I mean. Don't worry, I'm going to go talk to him. I'll straighten this out."

Serenity's eyes widened.

"Mai, don't - "

"Not taking no for an answer. Besides, don't worry, I'm not going to tell him off or anything. I'm just going to to square with him. We've worked together before; he'll listen to me. I promise I won't tell him that you sent me or anything. Here, get yourself something to drink. I'll be back in a few minutes - don't go anywhere."

Mai passed Serenity a bill, and the latter tried to protest again, but Mai only winked and sauntered off in the direction of the dark, towering KaibaCorp building that Serenity had left in tears barely an hour before.


	4. You and I both know why I'm here

So this chapter sort of wrote itself… I had an idea of what I wanted the dynamic to be between Seto and Mai, but it took a direction I didn't initially plan. Their relationship in here might be a little OOC (we don't ever see them interact that much in the source material) but I imagine they usually ran in the same sort of circles and had perhaps collaborated before, particularly because the Big Five called on Mai to test the virtual world. So I made them have the sort of tense but mutually respectful relationship you might expect of two fellow manipulative assholes. :P See what you think. r/r plz. :)

* * *

Mai had lied to Serenity just a little bit - she was going to be harsher with Kaiba than she let on.

The very idea of someone getting a sweet girl like Serenity into a situation like that - then refusing to show her compassion or even listen to her afterward - made Mai _lose her mind_. She had seen it too many times from too many powerful men. Besides, Serenity might not know it yet, but force was really the only way to get through to someone like Kaiba. If Mai was truly going to "square" with him (her own words, as she recalled) it was going to have to be by putting him to task in a way that only someone like she could.

Kaiba was going down.

Mai stepped into the familiar lobby of KaibaCorp, her heeled boots clicking on the marble floor. A mousy-looking woman with a clipboard approached her mumbling something about an appointment, but Mai never slowed down.

"Don't worry, I have an appointment," she said, smiling as she walked. "Right now, in fact."

"But I don't see - "

The woman's words faded away into a distant echo.

As the elevator ascended, Mai examined her reflection in the shiny doors. She may have put on a pounds or two (or five) since the Duelist Kingdom days, but she still had firm thighs, long legs, and a trim enough waist. Her makeup was perfect and her outfit was daring, but flattering to a fault.

By her own estimation, she looked more like the kind of girl that should have gotten accidentally knocked up by Seto Kaiba.

Not that Mai was jealous, of course. Aside from his money, Kaiba wasn't at all her type, and she certainly didn't have _any_ desire to be a mother - at least not anytime soon. It just seemed like fate would favor a freewheeling, cheeky playgirl over a sweet, introverted girl like Serenity to end up drunkenly getting it on in the back of a CEO's limousine.

But that was the thing about fate; it didn't always follow the rules.

By the time the doors opened at the top of the elevator, Kaiba was already standing mere feet away, his arms crossed. Mai might have been a little startled if that hadn't been exactly what she had anticipated.

"Looks like you were expecting me," Mai observed, smiling and stepping off the elevator into his office.

"Well, when my concierge called up and informed me that a blonde woman in hooker boots had shoved past her and seen herself to the elevator, I connected the dots."

"Charming."

Mai walked directly past Kaiba in the direction of his own desk.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, turning around. "That pushiness might have gotten you past the staff downstairs, but it won't work up here. I expect at least some modicum of respect, especially from the likes of _you_."

Mai smiled, taking a seat in the chair in front of Kaiba's desk and turning to make pointed eye contact.

"Look, you and I both know why I'm here. And you can throw me out if you want, but we're sending Joey next. So for the time being, I'm your new best friend."

Kaiba gave her a sour look, but he walked over to sit at his desk all the same.

"Nice try, but I know you're bluffing," he said. "Wheeler doesn't even know yet. If he did, he would already be up here, probably trying to kill me with his bare hands."

Mai raised an eyebrow.

"You have a better grasp on reality than people give you credit for. He _doesn't_ know yet, and for everybody's sake, we plan to keep it that way until a few things are settled. Such as - " Mai paused, giving Kaiba a stern look, "why you were so _awful_ to that poor girl."

"I wasn't awful," Kaiba said smoothly, crossing his arms on the desk in front of him. "I was honest. She and I aren't in love. We're not even a couple. This is something that happened, completely unplanned, when both of us were under the influence of alcohol. I acknowledge the role I played in it, and as such, I offered her some financial assistance, but that's all I owe anybody."

Mai nodded slowly.

"Mhm. So, you feel _no_ emotional ties to her? Or the baby?"

"None. And _baby_? It's six weeks old. Probably the size of a peanut. Come on."

"Right," Mai continued. "So then, it doesn't matter to you that Serenity is sitting by herself in a coffee shop at the bottom of your building, crying her eyes out, willing to call her older brother's girlfriend for a tiny bit of comfort?"

Though ke kept an impressive poker face, Kaiba tensed visibly - which made Mai's smile widen. To add to her amusement, his composure was evidently loosely-held, because that smile on her face was all it took to elicit the breakdown she had been hoping for the first go-round.

"Don't look at me like that!" he snapped. "Besides, what do you want me to do? Drop everything, race downstairs, and propose to her? Buy us a house in the country so I can abandon everything I've worked for to raise a kid I didn't ask for with a girl I barely know?"

"I don't know about all that," Mai replied. "But you could start by getting her a nice dinner, listening to her when she talks, and apologizing for making her cry."

"Valentine, you know me better than that. It's not happening."

"And you know _me_ better than that - it wasn't an offer. I hoped you'd cooperate without this, but I am prepared to raise the stakes."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Kaiba demanded, his scowl deepening even further.

"Nothing, really," Mai said idly. "First of all, I _will_ tell Joey."

Kaiba laughed outright.

"I'm not afraid of Wheeler."

"That might be true," Mai agreed, "but he'd make a hell of a scene in your pretty marble lobby downstairs. It would all be very embarrassing. And speaking of embarrassing, I was also just wondering what the KaibaCorp investors would think about Seto Kaiba impregnating a girl-next-door type and then refusing to acknowledge the baby or offer her any financial support after the fact, completely _devastating_ her future..."

That did succeed in getting Kaiba's attention. He jumped to his feet, pounding his fist down on his desk and upsetting a cup of pens.

"You wouldn't _dare_! That's not even all true!"

Mai only sat back and grinned.

"People aren't always the best fact-checkers - especially with a story this juicy."

They stared at each other like that for a moment, each seeming to measure the other's resolve.

"You're _blackmailing_ me," Kaiba said, the rage in his voice barely kept in-check.

Mai shrugged.

"I told you I hoped it wouldn't come to this. But you know I'm not one for empty threats. Shall I tell Serenity to plan on dinner this Saturday night?"

Taking a deep breath, Kaiba eased himself slowly back into his chair.

"You're going to do it regardless."

"You're right there," Mai agreed. "And pick her up in a nice car. Although maybe not a limousine - you guys seem to have a bad track record where those are concerned."

Mai winked, and Seto scowled.

"Valentine, don't push your luck."

"Me?" Mai replied in mock surprise. "How about you don't push _your_ luck? Those are the kinds of details your investors would just love _._ "


	5. Subtlety isn't really my style

The next contact Serenity had with anybody associated with Seto was actually a call from Mokuba, exactly one day after everything went down at KaibaCorp. Mai had told her she could anticipate a call from the Kaiba estate - how Mai had been so certain of that, she would never know and probably preferred not to - but it still wasn't entirely shocking when the mansion phone number came up on her caller ID.

"Hey Serenity," he had said brightly. "Congratulations."

Serenity - momentarily caught off-guard, but mostly overcome by relief to hear his voice rather than his brother's - laughed nervously.

"Thanks, I guess."

"I heard how you stood up to Seto," Mokuba said. "And that's not something just anybody can do. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry he can be like that sometimes. Mai and I both told him off for it."

Serenity a surge of frustration at the reminder, but she pushed it down. It wasn't Mokuba's fault that his brother was so difficult, and it certainly wasn't his fault that she had become the target of that difficulty by sleeping with the man on a whim and getting pregnant with his illegitimate child. The fact that Mokuba was the one calling already put him more in the middle than he deserved.

"... Seto doesn't do feelings like embarrassed or scared very well," Mokuba continued. "They all seem to come out as mad. And he's obviously not mad at you, he's more mad at himself."

None of that made Serenity feel any better, really, but she still managed to bite her tongue.

"Well, thanks for calling," she finally said. "Is there anything he wanted you to pass on?"

"Yes! We want you to come over for dinner this Saturday!" Mokuba exclaimed.

That was unexpected. What had Mai _said_ to Kaiba?

"To your house?" Serenity asked.

"Yes! Our cook is really good, I promise. Probably better than most restaurants anyway."

"It's not that," Serenity said, laughing a little in spite of herself. "You just don't think it will be weird or anything?"

Serenity hadn't been to the Kaiba mansion since the night of Joey's birthday, so she _knew_ it would be weird for her. But she was realizing more and more that the things she felt and wanted were not foremost the way they had been before she got the news about the baby.

"Not for me," Mokuba replied. "As for Seto… well, a lot of things are weird for him that wouldn't be for other people. But you should come over anyway."

So it was going to be a weird, awkward night all around. _Awesome_.

In spite of her apprehension, Serenity still knew that if her child had any hope of a normal future with any level of parental involvement from its father, she was going to have to be the one to sow the seeds, and the sooner she did it, the more success she would probably have.

"Well then, I accept your invitation," she said. "What time should I get there? Do I need to bring anything?"

"You don't need to bring anything, and don't even worry about coming over by yourself. We'll have you picked up at 6:30."

"That's really not necessary," Serenity replied. "I can still drive."

"But this is supposed to be a special night," Mokuba insisted. "We can send a car over! It's nothing."

"Okay," Serenity finally relented. She certainly wasn't used to being cooked for by people's private chefs or getting picked up by chauffeurs, but she might as well take advantage of what few perks there were to getting unexpectedly impregnated by a cold, commitment-phobic millionaire.

"Excellent!" Mokuba replied. "I'm excited."

He paused.

"And… Serenity?"

"Yes?"

"I don't want you to worry," he said finally. "Seto will come around, one way or the other. He's not the jerk everyone makes him out to be. He has his issues, but there's a side to him that you'll see sooner or later that's better. He'll get to a place where he's as excited about being a father as I am being an uncle, I promise."

"Thanks, Mokuba," Serenity said, surprising herself by feeling a little bit of comfort at his words. "That actually means a lot."

"You're welcome. See you Saturday!"

"See you. Bye."

* * *

The moment the clock on Serenity's cell phone flashed 6:30 that Saturday, she watched a shiny black limousine pull into her driveway. Apparently all of Kaiba's associates were aware that he liked his schedule followed to the minute. No questions, no surprises.

Speaking of avoiding surprises, Serenity was just lucky enough that Joey had already been scheduled to work for that particular Saturday evening, so coming up with an excuse for the limo wasn't a concern. She had actually told him that she was going to be at the mall with Mai that night so she might not be able to answer her phone (and Mai had agreed to corroborate the lie). She only hoped that none of the neighbors let anything slip about a limousine picking up his sister.

Lying to Joey all the time made her feel a little sick, but she reminded herself that she was doing what was best for everyone. Having him find out at the wrong time and explode (like she knew he would) could be disastrous. Still, it would be nice when the dust had settled enough for her to come clean and she didn't have to keep making things up.

Serenity felt a lump in her throat as she stepped out the door and locked it behind her. She knew the only person who would be in the car was the driver, but even so, seeing a KaibaCorp limo pull up brought back a lot of memories - and she couldn't decide if they were good ones. They had been pleasant enough at the time, of course, but given what came after, it was hard to decide.

Before Serenity could even make it down the sidewalk to the car, a driver in a black suit and matching hat had jumped out and opened the door. He bowed slightly as she approached and held out his hand to help her get in.

"Allow me, madam," he said quietly.

"...thanks," Serenity replied, feeling a little awkward as she accepted the gloved hand and slid into the back of the car. The driver smiled silently and waited for her to take a seat before he closed the door and returned to his spot behind the wheel. As he walked away, Serenity wondered briefly if she should put on a seatbelt - she certainly hadn't last time, but then again, that had been sort of an unusual circumstance.

Finally she decided that being pregnant, it would probably be better to at least put on a lap belt. When she heard it click, she took a deep breath and sat back.

Looking around the back of the limousine brought back a flood of emotion.

If this wasn't the exact same limousine Kaiba had used to pick her up the night of Joey's birthday, it was absolutely identical. The same little LED lights adorned the ceiling like tiny stars, and the champagne glasses on the wet bar were shined until they glistened.

The only real difference was that this time, there was no smirking young man with tousled brown hair. Nobody held a glass out to her, inviting her to drink it in one gulp so it could be refilled again until it overflowed. No one insistently pulled her onto his lap, covering her neck and lips with unexpected, sharp kisses that tasted like champagne and liquor.

Even after all that had happened, the memory caused Serenity to shiver a little bit and blush inadvertently.

If she knew she was on her way to eat with the same man from the back of the limo - the one with the smooth words and the bright eyes and the bottomless champagne - she probably wouldn't be as nervous as she was. But for all she knew, she was going to see the cold-faced man from the penthouse office.

And that had the potential to be awful.

Taking another deep breath, she reminded herself - for probably the fiftieth time - of what Mokuba had said to her. She just had to wait a little longer and hold onto a little hope.

And just like that - before she could even really brace herself for what was coming - they arrived.

Serenity had passed the white mansion on the hill five hundred times in her life - both before and after _that night_ \- but something about knowing she was about to eat in its dining room and make small-talk with its occupants transformed it from an innocuous staple of the landscape of her hometown to something much more intimidating. She took a deep breath as the limousine pulled up to the long driveway to the front of the mansion and came to a stop.

Fortunately, the first thing Serenity saw already served to put her much more at ease: it was Mokuba standing in the doorway, waving wildly. She smiled a little in spite of herself as she reached for her purse and accepted the chauffeur's help getting out of the back. Mokuba - in his usual hooded sweatshirt, jeans, and ponytail - ran up and gave her a tight hug.

"Hey, Serenity!" he exclaimed. "I'm so glad you came!"

As Mokuba embraced her, Serenity felt a little bit dwarfed by the muscular eighteen-year-old. He had definitely grown up dramatically over the years since Duelist Kingdom and Battle City, but unlike a lot of kids-turned-teenagers, he was still very much the same person he had been before. Though he was at least two feet taller and his brother's deep voice and chiseled features were starting to show up, no other similarities between the two had become evident. Mokuba still kept his hair long and laughed loudly and often. He also rarely dressed up more than jeans and a t-shirt.

"Do you ever wear shoes?" Serenity asked, suddenly noticing Mokuba's bare feet in the grass.

"Not at home, and not anywhere else when I can help it," he said, laughing. "Drives my brother crazy."

"I can't imagine."

As Serenity laughed - both at her own sarcasm and the absurdity of the sweatshirt-clad, barefoot heir to the Kaiba fortune - she finally felt her heart rate start to calm. She felt better than she had since she accepted the dinner invitation as she followed Mokuba up the stairs and through the front door.

"Did you come in this way the last time you were here, or did Seto take you in the back way?" he asked.

Serenity chuckled again, but this time with a little bit of embarrassment.

"Would you judge me if I told you that I honestly can't remember?" she asked.

"Not whatsoever. But in that case, it was probably the back door. As you can see, the stairs here are a little treacherous if you're in any way impaired."

Sure enough, the sweeping staircase in the middle of the foyer had no carpet for traction and only a very thoroughly polished, slippery-looking banister for balance or support.

"Are we going upstairs now?" Serenity asked.

"No, dinner's almost ready," Mokuba replied. "No time for that now."

He kept walking, and Serenity assumed she was to follow. The next turn they took was down a long, burgundy-painted hallway hung with what appeared to be original oil paintings. Serenity resisted the urge to examine each one of them as though she were in museum. She mostly didn't want to hold up their progress, but she also didn't want to come across as an overly-curious commoner who was completely out of her element - though in fact that's exactly how she felt.

As she stepped into the dining room where Mokuba had been leading her, the feeling only intensified. The walls were the same rich burgundy color, but instead of paintings, they were hung with mirrors in enormous, gilded frames. Most of the floor space was occupied by an enormous mahogany table crowned by two candelabras and a bowl of very real-looking fruit, some of which Serenity couldn't even identify. Though the table looked as though it could have seated at least twenty, it was only set for three.

"Seto's finishing some work upstairs, but he'll be down as soon as the dinner bell rings," Mokuba said casually, sitting down in front of one of the table settings. "Take a seat."

"Where?" Serenity asked.

Mokuba shrugged.

"Anywhere. Seto usually sits at the head of the head of the table, but I don't think he cares that much."

Not wanting to disrupt their routine, Serenity sat down across from Mokuba. She examined the place setting in front of her and was not at all surprised to see that the plates themselves were fine china. There was also no doubt in her mind that the silverware was real silver - if not something even finer than that.

"Do you guys always eat in here?" she asked.

"About once a month, Seto decides we're going to have a nice dinner," Mokuba replied. "But most of the time, I either eat in front of the TV or have pizza at the game shop with Yugi and your brother. I guess Seto eats something somewhere, since he's still alive and all."

Serenity couldn't help but laugh.

"So your brother really _is_ just as much of a mystery as he comes across," she observed.

Mokuba nodded slowly.

"Mystery is a good word for it. Sometimes I feel like I know exactly who he is… we have breakfast together every morning in the kitchen, and there are days when he makes me laugh until coffee comes out my nose. But sometimes, he barely talks at all. He almost seems lost inside himself. Those are the times I wish I knew what all was going on inside his head."

"Likewise, trust me," Serenity replied, smiling grimly. "But I don't think he wants anybody to know. Especially not me."

Mokuba looked over at her. For the first time that evening, he made purposeful eye contact.

"Serenity, I don't want you to think my brother has anything against you," he said firmly. "Seto is a hard person to read even without the added drama of a baby. But that said, he's nothing if not logical, so he doesn't put the blame on you for the situation you two are in. To be honest, whatever you interpret as antagonism is probably just Seto being Seto."

"So does that mean it's going to be like this forever with him?" Serenity asked, doing her best not to sound disappointed.

"No, that's not at all what I meant. I know he _can_ open up to people, because he does with me," Mokuba insisted. "I'm just saying that however he acts toward you now - cold, indifferent, whatever - it's not anything specifically to do with you. He's just going to have to deal with things the best he can, and at least in the beginning, his best might still be kind of depressing."

Serenity nodded. Though she tried to maintain a hopeful expression, she could tell from the way Mokuba looked at her that she was probably failing.

"Hey," he said more quietly, taking hold of her hand across the table. "I told you on the phone that I thought my brother would come around, and I meant it. There's already something about you that draws him in. I've known him for my whole life and most of his, and you're the first girl - well, person, really - I've ever seen him get anywhere near this invested in. Just give him some time."

Before Serenity could respond, the distinct sound of footsteps came from the stairs behind them. She resisted the urge to flip around, but she felt her stomach turn with anxiety anyway. Looking across the table, she saw Mokuba make a face at her, and she chuckled and felt her nerves start to dissipate. She was sure she wasn't the first person in this house to think it, but seriously… _thank God for Mokuba_.

About that time, Seto walked into the room. Serenity saw him first in one of the gilded mirrors, and she finally decided that it would be okay to turn around and give him a cautious smile.

Though she tried to muster some kind of pleasant expression, Serenity found herself struck immobile by one single thought: Kaiba was so, so, _stupidly_ handsome. He wore a solid green shirt and matching slacks, which was a typical outfit for him minus his signature trench coat. However, even these simple clothes made it look as though he were a runway model and they had been tailored specifically for him. In contrast, his hair was soft and tousled and fell across his forehead carelessly as though he neither knew how attractive he was or had any interest in maintaining it regardless - which was quite probably the case on both counts. His eyes were as piercing as ever as they locked with hers.

Seto nodded in acknowledgement.

"Serenity, welcome," he said evenly. "I trust Mokuba's made you feel at home?"

"Of course," Mokuba cut in. "Now sit down so they'll bring out salad, I'm starving!"

Serenity was momentarily shocked to hear somebody boss Seto Kaiba around like - that even if was just Mokuba. Seto, however, only smiled silently as he took his customary place at the head of the table.

Something about his smile was very unexpectedly disarming.

"So, um, what are we having?" Serenity asked.

"Duck à l'orange," Mokuba cut in. "It's French."

"As long as that's something you would like," Seto added. "We also have vegetarian alternatives."

"No, duck is perfect," Serenity replied. "I'm actually supposed to have red meat right now. At least... that's what this one article that I read at the grocery store said."

Mokuba laughed out loud.

"She's so cute, Seto," he said mischievously. "Isn't she just the cutest?"

Kaiba gave his brother a look that was mostly exasperation, but a little bit of amusement mixed in.

"You could at least try to be a little subtle," he suggested.

"Subtlety isn't really my style."

Serenity chuckled a little bit at the truth in those words, but the three of them soon fell silent as a few black-clad staff members brought out salad platters. It wasn't the kind of awkward, agonizing silence she had been afraid of when she accepted the invitation, however; it was anticipatory and almost pleasant.

"Do you eat endives?" Kaiba asked politely, passing her one of the silver platters from the middle of the table.

"I never have before, but I'll try them," Serenity replied. "They're French too, right?"

"Yes - our chef tends to favor French cuisine."

 _At least he was being cordial._

It seemed to Serenity that Kaiba had settled on treating her like one of his business associates. It wasn't ideal - a little bit more warmth would have been appreciated - but at least it wasn't hostility. She knew that she had to manage her expectations for the time being.

Mokuba, however, apparently decided he wanted a little bit more excitement in the conversation.

"Serenity, I need you to help me convince my brother to let me get my eyebrow pierced."

It was Serenity's turn to laugh.

"I'm not even going to approach that one," she said. "I feel like that argument probably isn't going anywhere."

"It absolutely isn't," Seto said. "Mokuba, you're the co-owner and heir to the Kaiba Corporation. If you won't dress in something a little bit more professional, you can at least _not_ mutilate your face with piercings or tattoos."

"Duke's the owner of a gaming company, and he has plenty of piercings," Mokuba said.

"Duke Devlin is not my younger brother," Seto replied. "And thank God for that."

Serenity, to her surprise, found herself laughing out loud.

"He's not all that bad," she said, feeling a little pity for the man she had dated for a couple of weeks during high school. "Maybe not super interesting or anything, but…"

"We had him over for dinner once, right after he launched his game shop here in town," Mokuba cut in. "Seto wanted to convince him to feature some of our holographic technology in his arenas, so we wanted everything to be perfect. We had the full kitchen staff stay late and imported some fancy foods - what was it that we had that night, bro?"

"Coq au vin and terrine de campagne," Seto said, his expression deadpan.

"That's it. But the thing is, Duke wouldn't _touch it_. In fact, he demanded - wait for it - _instant ramen_."

Mokuba had started to laugh before he even finished his story, and once he had, Serenity joined in. Seto, on the other hand, merely shook his head and ate a forkful of endives.

"He did end up using our technology, though," Mokuba finally managed to get out. "So I guess the evening wasn't a total loss."

If Serenity wasn't mistaken, she almost saw the ghost of a smile flash across the older Kaiba's features.


	6. I told Joey you had food poisoning

This one is an in-between kind of chapter… but I've tried to keep it fun! It will have more characters - the whole gang makes an appearance! And Téa gives an unironic friendship speech, because honoring the source material is important. :P And yes, her name is going to have the accent mark every single time, because I'm a perfectionist and I'm flipping tired of reading "tea" every time my eyes scan across it.

Btw - I feel like this is dragging a little bit, and if you agree, all I ask is that you stick with me. The next chapter is going to hit you like a freight train, pinky promise! The anvil of plot is going to fall from the sky and it's going to go super fast from here on out!

* * *

Serenity kicked off her shoes and fell back on her bed, sighing with relief.

Dinner with the Kaibas could have probably gone better, but she couldn't deny that it also could have gone much, much worse.

Though she had done her best not to let her imagination run away with her earlier in the day, she had to admit that she had inadvertently created some scenario in her mind in which Seto had welcomed her into his home - with the same smile he'd worn _that night_ \- and given her a tour and stayed up late into the night talking with her.

Of course, it hadn't turned out like that - not even Mai could work the kind of magic that would make that happen.

However, Serenity again reminded herself that she ought to be thankful for what _had_ happened: a sweet and much-needed vote of confidence from Mokuba, a couple of hours of civil (if not particularly stimulating or fascinating) conversation with Seto, and - if she was being perfectly honest - one of the best meals she'd ever had in her life.

She rolled over and looked at the clock: 10 pm. Joey's shift ended at 9:30 - he would probably be home any minute.

Groaning, she got to her feet and looked around her room.

 _Why had nothing changed? When in reality,_ everything _had changed?_

Her walls were still painted the same light shade of pink they had been when she and Joey first started renting the apartment; the pink walls had been the deciding factor for her getting the master suite, and she certainly hadn't protested. The few framed pictures she had hung up - some flowers and inspirational quotes she had found at a yard sale - were still in the same places. The first and only cross-stitching project she had ever attempted, which had come in a kit Téa had given her for her first birthday following her eye surgery, was still sitting on her desk half-finished, as it had been for a shameful five years. Occasionally she picked it up and attempted a few halfhearted stitches, but she could never motivate herself to sit still long enough to make any measurable progress.

Around that time, Serenity heard a key click in the lock. She almost turned and headed for the door before she realized that she was still dressed in the outfit she had worn to the Kaiba's. It wasn't dressy, exactly, but it wasn't the kind of thing she would wear to sit around the house for hours - which was exactly what she was about to tell her brother she had been doing.

Serenity dove into action, stripping off her dress and throwing an oversize t-shirt on over the leggings she had already been wearing. Flopping back down on her bed, she opened a book and tried to look engaged.

Not a moment too soon, Joey leaned in the door and smiled.

"Hey sis!" he said. "Reading something good?"

Serenity put the book down and smiled back, though the brightness and trust in his eyes made her heart break.

"It's okay," she replied. "How was your day?"

"Same old thing," he replied, shrugging. "But the weather was a little warmer, so that's nice at least. Hey, I'm planning on going over to the Game Shop. There will probably be some folks hanging out. Yugi and Téa are over there most of the time, and I figure Tristan and Duke might have stopped by after they got off work."

Serenity thought through the list of people. She was a little shocked to realize that with the exception of the time she had run into Yugi at the grocery store, she hadn't seen any of them in nearly a month. Though it wasn't because of the baby - it was because she worked so many hours - she still couldn't risk any type of suspicious behavior.

She was also suddenly struck by how _lonely_ she felt at the thought of all her friends. It would have been hard on her not to see any of them for a month under normal circumstances, but with the added burden of her secret, the isolation made her heart ache.

"Yeah, I'm gonna go," she told him. "Meet you at the door in about five minutes?"

"Sounds great. I just need to change clothes and I'll be ready to go."

With that, Joey left and went across the hall to his room, where Serenity could hear him rifling through drawers and shaking out clothes. She got up herself, and glancing in the mirror, realized her hair and makeup were still done for a night out. Fortunately, Joey hadn't noticed, but she couldn't risk any of the others catching on. She carefully dabbed away any remaining lipstick and put her hair up in a messy bun.

It was the first time she could remember intentionally dressing _down_ to go out.

Grabbing her purse, Serenity slipped on a pair of tennis shoes and walked out to meet her brother.

* * *

When the two of them arrived at the Game Shop, Téa happened to be outside watering the purple and yellow pansies in one of Solomon's planters. When she looked up and made unexpected eye contact with Serenity through the open passenger window of Joey's truck, she started to wave excitedly. Joey slowed down and came to a stop in front of the shop.

"Serenity! It's been forever since you came by!" Téa exclaimed, running up to meet them. "How have you been?"

"Pretty good," Serenity replied, already starting to feel the guilt wash over her for lies she hadn't even told yet. "I guess it has been awhile, huh?"

"I'll say! Joey, why have you been keeping this poor girl tucked away so long? We've missed her around here!"

"I keep telling her to come over here with me, but all she does is work!" Joey said. "But hey, I'll tell you what: Serenity, why don't you go ahead and get out? I'll park the truck out back."

"Are you sure?" Serenity asked.

"Of course. The two of you should catch up! I'll meet you inside."

"Thanks. See you in a minute."

Serenity grabbed her purse and jumped out the door, where Téa was waiting to wrap her in a tight hug.

"Why does it feel like I haven't seen you in months?" she demanded, pulling away but still holding Serenity's shoulders at arm's' length. "And why do you look different? Your skin is so perfect; it's practically glowing. What have you been doing? Tell me your secret!"

"I guess I just didn't get all my makeup off from work today," Serenity replied, gently pulling away. "But hey, you look really good too. Have you been working out more?"

"Yes, but not by choice," Téa said. "The new dance instructor the studio hired has been working us to the bone. Just last week, he had us do fifteen crunches and _then_ …"

Serenity tried to pay attention as she followed Téa up the sidewalk to the door, but her mind had admittedly begun to wander nearly the moment they started walking. It seemed ominous that the first thing out of her friend's mouth had been that she was _glowing_ \- wasn't that something people said to pregnant women?

 _Mai hadn't said anything, had she?_

Serenity quickly assured herself that it had to be a coincidence; Mai and Téa weren't really that close, and besides, Mai had promised several times not to say anything. She knew just as well as Serenity did that it would be a very bad idea to share anything even with Téa, because that would be risking the information going straight from Téa to Yugi to Joey.

Serenity decided that she was probably still safe for the time being, but those thoughts did serve to remind her that she was on very, very thin ice. It occurred to her that in a weird, ironic way, it was easier to spend time around the Kaibas than it was at to spend time around her own friends; at least with the former, she didn't have to keep any secrets or tell any lies.

About that time, Téa finished what she was saying - fortunately, she seemed to have been satisfied by Serenity's periodic nods - and they walked through the door. As she crossed the threshold and shut the door behind her, Serenity watched Tristan's face light up.

"Serenity!" he exclaimed, running over and giving her a hug much like Téa's. "It's been weeks! How have you been? _Where_ have you been?"

"Just, you know, work and stuff," Serenity replied, her voice muffled by his shoulder.

"Well, you need to take some time off," Tristan said, letting her go. "You know what they say, all work and no play…"

" - makes Tristan lecture you with bad clichés," Duke finished, walking over and giving Serenity a tight, one-armed hug. "But seriously, come by more often. We'll even hook you up with some free pizza."

At the word pizza, something strange happened: Serenity felt her stomach twist in a very unpleasant way. She wasn't hungry, of course, but the feeling she had was much worse than just a lack of interest. It was almost nausea. And pizza had always been one of her favorite foods.

"I'm really not that hungry," she said quickly. "I already ate back at the apartment."

"Are you sure?" Duke asked. "We've got pepperoni, extra cheese..."

The look on her face must have said it all, because Yugi intervened from where he sat on the couch across the room.

"Give her some space, guys," he urged, laughing a little. "Sit down and make yourself at home, Serenity. You don't have to eat if you don't want to."

"Thanks, Yugi."

Serenity took a seat on the smaller couch and watched quietly as the group went about their business, just the way they always had. She was overcome by the same feeling she'd had back in her bedroom at the apartment: why was everything else in the world allowed to be exactly the same as it always had been, when everything in her own life and even her own body was so dramatically different?

It seemed unfair, really.

About that time, Joey walked in the back door, and he got the same good-natured ribbing from the others as he had from Téa: _where had he been keeping Serenity? Why didn't he share her with the rest of them?_

It was all pleasant enough - that is, until he the pizza Serenity had turned down was offered to him.

"Are you kidding?" Joey demanded. "You know you don't have to ask me twice."

Serenity felt her stomach clench up again as Duke walked out of the kitchen holding out a grease-stained cardboard box.

"We're out of clean plates, but it's all yours, buddy."

"Alright!" Joey exclaimed, grabbing the box and taking it over to the sofa where Serenity sat. Before she could protest, he had already taken the seat right beside her and opened it.

"Mmmm," he said, breathing deeply. "Hey, Serenity, are you _sure_ you don't want a piece? I don't get how anybody could smell pizza and not want - "

Before he could even finish his sentence, she had already leapt up and bolted for the bathroom.

Once inside, Serenity slammed the door shut, leaned over the toilet, and said goodbye to whatever that was left of all the fancy food she had earlier that night. Her stomach roiled angrily, the muscles contracting to push out every bit of what it had contained so peacefully just a moment before.

When it the motions finally stopped, Serenity was left trembling and completely empty, leaning against the cold white porcelain for support. Though she managed to find the strength to lean up to flush the toilet, she immediately slumped back down and took a shaking breath.

A few seconds later, there was a knock at the door.

"Serenity?" Téa's muffled voice came out. "Are you alright?"

She looked up blearily. So they had all heard her. _Great_.

Not getting a response, Téa eased the door open slowly.

"Hey, are you sick?" she asked, her expression one of concern.

"I… I don't think so," Serenity replied hoarsely. "It's probably just something I ate."

When the words first came out, they weren't actually a lie. Serenity had been as blindsided by the sudden sickness as everyone else, and in the past, if she threw up without actually having any kind of virus, it had always been food poisoning. However, the second she heard the words out loud and started to think back over what she had eaten that night, the realization hit her like a ton of bricks:

The baby.

 _There hadn't been anything wrong with anything she ate. She was sick because she was pregnant._

Téa sat down on the floor beside her, interrupting her reverie.

"You really don't seem like yourself," she said. "I've thought that since you first got here. Are you sure it's really just food poisoning?"

"Yeah," Serenity replied, probably more quickly than necessary. "I mean, what else could it be, right?"

Téa shrugged and nodded.

"Well, at least let me feel your head."

She put the back of her hand gently up to Serenity's forehead, and of course, it was perfectly cool. As she withdrew it, she brushed a lock of hair behind Serenity's ear.

"Your temperature seems normal. I'm sure Joey's really worried, though; I should probably go back and let him know you're okay. Do you want to come with me or stay here?"

"I think I'll stay for now," Serenity replied, unwilling to even think about the prospect of smelling the pizza again. "But I don't want you guys to worry about me. I'm sure it will pass."

Téa gave her a long look.

"I hope so. Come back out whenever you're ready. I'll check on you in a few minutes."

"Thanks."

With that, Téa departed, leaving Serenity leaning against the toilet with her eyes shut tight.

This was the part where it got more complicated, wasn't it?

She had assumed, perhaps naively, that she was going to be able to hide the pregnancy until it actually started to physically show. And even then, she sort of thought that she may be able to wear baggy clothing and get another month or two. However, it seemed more and more like it wasn't going to be the physical signs that gave her away after all. How many more episodes of sickness or tiredness could she have before Joey started to realize that something was up?

About that time, there was another knock at the door.

"Come in," Serenity groaned. She would have infinitely preferred to be on her own, but she knew that she would have sounded rude had she protested. Téa leaned in and gave her another sympathetic smile.

"Hey. I brought you a glass of water and your cell phone."

"Thanks."

Serenity accepted the glass of water and put the cell phone back in her pocket - after glancing to make sure she hadn't gotten any suspicious messages in the short time it hadn't been with her.

It looked like she was safe.

"I told Joey you had food poisoning and you wanted to stay in here just in case," Téa said, taking a seat on the floor beside her.

"Thanks."

The two sat in silence for a minute, Téa playing with a couple of bangle bracelets on her wrist.

All of a sudden - and to her utter dismay - Serenity felt her eyes start to fill with tears. Though she quickly went to rub them away before Téa could notice anything strange, they were instantly replaced by new ones. She soon realized that it was no use, and she gave in and allowed them to run down her cheeks.

"Serenity!" Téa exclaimed, the moment she looked up and realized what was happening. "What's the matter?!"

"I'm just..." Serenity searched for an accessible lie, but found herself coming up empty. She didn't have the energy to make up anything else. "I'm just tired of feeling so alone. I can't talk to my brother anymore; I can't talk to anybody but Mai, and she hardly ever answers her phone. I feel tired and sick all the time…"

"Do you want to tell me what the matter is?"

"I'm just…" Serenity's voice started to trail off, but she found it again as she realized that her need to confide in someone was stronger than her fear of her secret getting out. "I'm pregnant, Téa."

To Serenity's shock, Téa's face didn't drop like Mai's had. Instead, she just nodded slowly.

"I wondered about that," she admitted. "There were a lot of things that didn't add up. You've been keeping to yourself for so long, and when you got here, you acted so strangely. I figured you were either really sick or pregnant… and I obviously hoped it was the second one. But Joey doesn't know yet, does he?"

It was Serenity's turn to stare in shock. She remembered the day she had left KaibaCorp in tears - which honestly felt like years ago, not days - and how she had ruled Téa out so quickly when she was thinking about who would be her confidante. She had assumed that the other woman would be scandalized and self-righteous and insist on marching her right up to Joey to set the record straight.

The nonjudgmental calm she was seeing now was entirely unexpected.

"He doesn't," Serenity admitted, her shock having slowed her tears. "I don't know when or even how I'm going to tell him."

Téa nodded slowly.

The two sat in silence for a moment, and Serenity took a sip of her water. It was pleasantly cool, and it washed the sour taste out of her mouth.

"You're not going to tell Joey, are you?" she asked finally.

"No," Téa replied. "That's not my business. This is your life and he's your brother, and you should be able to choose when and how he finds out. But… this is still obviously a really big deal. There's so many questions I want to ask, but I know they aren't my business. I'll just keep it to one: who does know?"

"Just Mai, the baby's father, and his - well, a member of his family."

Serenity had stopped herself right before saying "his brother." Téa probably wouldn't immediately think of Seto Kaiba when she heard the word brother - after all, lots of people had them - but she couldn't risk giving any clues.

"And are the father and his family supportive?"

Serenity paused, then nodded.

"Supportive enough, I guess."

"Okay."

Another silence ensued, and though she tried to take a sip of water to hide it, Serenity sensed more tears gathering in her eyes. Thought it felt good to have another person in her circle of supporters, Téa's kindness also brought with it a lot of its own guilt. She felt bad for the way she had written Téa off before and for the way she was still withholding key information from her. She also felt terrible that she had mustered up the courage to tell someone else, but that person still wasn't Joey.

"Hey," Téa said gently. "Come here."

She held out her arms, and Serenity fell into her embrace without resistance.

"It's going to be okay," Téa said. "It's going to be hard, but it's going to be okay. Your friends - and I'm including Joey in that - might be upset for a little while, but they'll come around. They'll always be here for you. I'll make sure of it."

Though she couldn't find the energy to respond, Téa's words did give Serenity a little bit of hope. And when she finally collected herself enough to emerge from the bathroom, she didn't feel quite the same level of misery and guilt as she looked into everyone's faces and accepted their expressions of concern. After all, maybe - as Téa had - they would surprise her with their understanding when the time came to share the news.


	7. I'm bleeding a lot

Hi everyone! Thanks for reading. :) This is the chapter I've been waiting most anxiously to post. It's one of the first ones I wrote out of the entire story; the rest of the story sort of came to life around it. Thanks SO especially much to those of who you have reviewed. If you haven't, I'd love to hear from you!

* * *

Seto was on his way out the door when he heard a muted buzzing sound. Immediately putting his hand to his coat pocket, he realized that his own phone was right where it was supposed to be, and it was silent.

So Mokuba must have forgotten his phone. Again.

Sighing, he closed the door again and followed the sound first into the living room, then more specifically to the couch in front of the flat screen. He pulled the dark brown leather cushions apart, and sure enough – wedged between the frame and the armrest – was the long-suffering iPhone with its cracked screen (Seto had refused to replace them anymore after the second one).

As he reached down to pick it up, he saw the name on the caller ID, followed by a red-haired emoji and a smiley with cat ears:

 **Serenity Wheeler**

 _Serenity? Why was she calling him? Or, more accurately, why was she calling Mokuba?_

To Seto's knowledge, she hadn't spoken to him or his brother since the rather uneventful dinner they had shared nearly three weeks before. That's not to say she hadn't been on his mind, of course; he had lost more sleep than he wanted to admit over Serenity and her situation. That said, he was far from certain as to how he would go about reaching out to her - or whether he even had the right - so he had told himself that she would contact him when she needed something. In the meantime, he had done his best to keep this thoughts otherwise occupied.

However, now that she really was reaching out, he found himself more startled and unprepared than relieved. Shaking off his momentary surprise, Seto swiped his thumb across the screen and put the phone up to his ear.

"Kaiba," he said instinctively, without even pausing to think.

There was a moment of silence on the other line, then a sniffling followed by "…Seto?"

He could have kicked himself for answering the way he had for her, especially on his little brother's phone, but it was the only way he had answered a phone for the past decade.

"This is Seto. Is this Serenity?" he demanded sharply, determined that she wouldn't notice his discomfort.

As listened for a response – which didn't come immediately – he noticed that the breathing on the other line was uneven and gasping, as though coming from someone who had been crying hard.

"What's the matter?" he demanded.

More crying.

"I'm bleeding a lot. I'm really scared."

Seto paused for a moment, imaging Serenity holding a towel against a cut arm or leg and wondering why it was his business or what she thought he was going to do about it.

Then, all of a sudden, her meaning hit home.

That kind of bleeding.

The kind that meant that where there had been a baby, there might not be one anymore. The kind that had put his own mother on bedrest all those years ago, before Mokuba was born, and culminated with an impossibly difficult, painful delivery that had cost her her life.

 _That_ kind of bleeding.

Seto took a deep breath, trying to slow his own racing pulse.

"You have to calm down," he heard his voice say, wondering all the while where the words were coming from. "Panicking will just make it worse. How much blood is there?"

"A lot."

 _Shit._

"Is anybody there with you?" Seto asked.

"No, but Joey's going to get home in a half an hour and I'm scared about that, too."

Seto felt a sense of annoyance flare up alongside his fear, but he kept talking.

"Leave him some kind of note that will keep him from worrying about you or trying to find you. Put your ID in your pocket and call an ambulance – they'll get there in five minutes and take you to the hospital on South Domino and Main. I'll be there when you arrive."

* * *

As his red convertible flew down the highway (at a speed admittedly much faster than the posted limit), Seto's thoughts likewise flew in a thousand different directions.

 _How serious was this?_

 _What would happen to Serenity?_

 _What would happen to the baby?_

Thinking about the baby at all felt strange and foreign. He had managed, over the past month or so, to keep his thoughts focused almost entirely on Serenity herself. He knew that she was a sweet-natured, vulnerable girl, and he knew that he owed her something, but he had somehow found a way to keep any details beyond that locked away in the back of his mind where he didn't have to dwell on them or feel anything related to them. It had been working out for him, at least for the time being.

However, all of a sudden, those thoughts - the ones about the baby - had been rocketed into the spotlight, front and center.

He felt paralyzingly intense emotions, but he felt them in shifts. The sensation was something like that of taking his hand out of ice-cold water only to plunge it just as suddenly into a fire. There was a sudden desperate feeling of longing for an unnamed, ungendered baby with his own soft chocolate brown hair, serenity's hazel eyes, and Mokuba's smile. His mother's smile.

However, a heartbeat later, the feeling was replaced by a bitter, paralyzing sense of loss.

The moment the baby became real to him was the very same moment that it was torn away.

How well that followed the pattern of his life.

But then, what if the baby wasn't the one they lost? What if the events of his early life repeated, and it was the mother who got taken away?

The thought of Serenity suddenly ceasing to exist caused bile to rise in his throat, and he swallowed sharply. Kaiba wasn't sure what about that idea that he found so agonizing - particularly since he had only spent any length of time with her on a few occasions - but when he saw her in his mind's eye, it was the image of her gazing at him steadfastly across the expanse of his own desk, calmly telling him that she was going to keep the baby he so clearly didn't want.

Maybe he had just taken for granted that someone with that level of strength was untouchable. Maybe he had already accepted that she was going to remain a part of his life, and he was getting comfortable with the idea.

Though he was unsure as to why he was feeling so much torment over the situation, Seto was more than certain that he was going to put it out of his mind and quit feeling it. He bit his lip and concentrated on the road - which was fortunate, because he had come very close to missing the turn that would take him into the hospital parking lot. Fortunately, he saw it just in time, and he managed to pull in and slam on the brakes right in front of the emergency entrance where the ambulances dropped off patients. Throwing the convertible in park, Seto jumped out and left it exactly where it was. The car would certainly get towed, and he would certainly be fined a monstrous sum, but he couldn't remember if he had ever cared any less about anything.

When he burst through the doors, the first thing he encountered was a large desk manned by two startled nurses.

"Has Serenity Wheeler checked in yet?" he demanded sharply.

Both of them - clearly recognizing him and caught off-guard by his haggard appearance - shook their heads, wide-eyed.

"Well then, what's the hold up?"

The two nurses continued to stare blankly, but fortunately, it was at that very moment that two EMTs came through the same door he had just entered, one of them pushing a wheelchair with a crying redheaded girl.

 _Serenity_.

"Seto!" she exclaimed, spotting him beside the desk.

Though his heart still pounded, Kaiba took a deep breath and reclaimed his usual all-business demeanor.

"Serenity," he said, nodding in acknowledgement and falling into step with the EMTs. "What have you found out?"

She began to open her mouth, but before she had time to say anything, a nurse took over pushing the wheelchair and turned to face him, her expression stern.

"Are you family?" she demanded sharply. "Only family allowed in the exam room."

Kaiba paused. It felt for a moment as though the world around him ceased to turn, instead dissolving into a bright, fuzzy mess with nothing but a low hum in the background.

"I'm… the baby's father," he heard his own voice say.


	8. You didn't need to do that

And just like that, the humming and spinning stopped. The world resumed turning at its usual pace, and the colorful blurs turned back into chairs, desks, and human beings. It was something like coming back down from a strange height, and despite the way his heart still pounded, Seto felt himself more grounded than he had been since Mokuba's cell phone rang what already felt like half a lifetime ago.

The nurse pushing the wheelchair paused a moment as though she were sizing him up. It almost looked like she may have recognized his face, but it was also clear that she couldn't quite place him. He decided that was probably for the better.

"Well then, come on," she said finally, gesturing for Seto to follow as she pushed the wheelchair. "We're taking her through triage, then we'll see if an exam room opens up."

Serenity gave him a look of anxiety. He felt as though he ought to say something – if not out of true care, at least out of human decency – but he was at a loss, so he only nodded and gave her a look of what he hoped came across as confidence.

The nurse wheeled Serenity into what appeared to be little more than a closet with a blood pressure machine, a scale, and a shelf full of instruments, bandages, and tourniquets. She then proceeded to take a seat on a very industrial-looking, sparsely-padded green chair facing Serenity. Pulling a metal clipboard seemingly out of nowhere, she flipped a few pages and started scribbling.

Seto was left to stand awkwardly off to the side.

"What's your full name?" the nurse demanded.

Serenity stared at her, blinking slowly as though confused.

"Tell her your name," Seto urged, finally breaking his silence.

"Serenity Lorraine Wheeler."

"Do you know your blood type?" the nurse asked, checking off items on the clipboard and flipping to a fresh page.

"I think it's B."

The nurse sniffed.

"We'll have to check it either way. I'll just leave it blank for now. Is this your husband?"

Seto and Serenity immediately looked at one another.

"No," he said quickly.

The nurse nodded wordlessly and jotted something else on her clipboard.

"Then I guess the next question is, which of you will be taking financial responsibility for the treatment?"

Before Serenity even had time to open her mouth, Seto cut in.

"I will."

Serenity looked at him, longer this time. There was something like gratitude in her eyes. Uncomfortable, he looked away.

"That's all the paperwork, then," the nurse said, flipping back to the first page of the clipboard and handing it to Serenity. "I'll need you to sign the highlighted places on the first three pages. Then – " she paused and looked at Seto " – he'll need to sign and date the last page. While the two of you are taking care of that, I'm going to take some vitals."

As Serenity signed her name on the highlighted lines, the nurse clipped a blood pressure monitor to the index finger of her left hand.

"A little high," she observed after a moment, "but that's common in anxious patients."

Seto felt a little bit of his fear turn into annoyance.

"Look," he said suddenly, surprising both of the other occupants of the room. "She's just been bleeding for the last three hours and she doesn't know if her baby is alive or dead. How about you take a minute and show an ounce of patience instead of throwing around words like 'anxious' as though they were accusations?"

Serenity's eyes had grown to the size of dinner plates. The nurse, on the other hand, scowled as she put down the blood pressure monitor. She turned slowly to make eye contact with Seto.

"I'm sorry, sir," she said, though she truly didn't sound it. "I have a job to do, and not much time to do it. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but there is an entire room of patients waiting to get their vitals taken and their wounds and illnesses addressed, and they are all emergencies, or they wouldn't be here. It's not my job to babysit each person passing through triage, and if my methods don't meet your standards, I'm sorry."

Seto snatched the clipboard off Serenity's lap, never breaking eye contact with the nurse as he flipped to the last page, scrawled a signature, and tossed it unceremoniously onto the counter beside him.

"Well, they don't meet my standards. I'm beginning to think I should just buy this whole hospital and then we can have a conversation about what your job is."

The nurse paused, squinting a little.

"I do know who you are. You're Seto Kaiba, aren't you?" she demanded.

He only smirked.

"I see my reputation precedes me. So how about this? You do whatever it is that you need to do, then get Serenity Wheeler into an examination room so we can figure out what's going on with her baby."

The nurse never said another word, though from the moment that Seto finished talking to the moment that Serenity was settled in a bed in an exam room and she left the two of them alone, there was a level of tension so thick that it could have been cut with a knife.

When the door was finally closed, Serenity found herself laughing nervously.

"You didn't need to do that," she said. "Scare the nurse, I mean."

Seto shrugged.

"She was asking for it by acting like a jerk. I'm a jerk, but that's why I don't work a job that requires bedside manner."

Though Serenity chuckled a little, the sadness in her eyes remained.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, Seto looking out the window – sure enough, his red convertible had already been towed – and Serenity gazing up at the ceiling tiles. The silence could have probably gone forever (or at least until the physician came in) but after a minute or two, something strange happened: their eyes connected suddenly and without warning, though neither of them had tried to get the other one's attention.

"I –"

"It's just – "

They had started talking at exactly the same moment. Seto quickly shook his head.

"Go ahead," he said.

"I just… don't see how the baby could still be alive, after all the blood I saw," Serenity said, her voice still a little shaky, but also somehow distant. Resigned. "And it wasn't just blood – there were also these horrible big black chunks. The EMTs said it could just be clots, but I've never seen anything like that before. It looked like whatever was inside of me all came out at once."

Seto looked away, not saying anything in return.

"- and I don't expect you to be sad or anything," Serenity continued. "I just thought I should probably warn you. It's all almost over, I guess."

Seto took a deep breath, and it felt like something rattled around in his chest. Something cold.

"It's not like that," he said quietly.

He wanted to tell her so much more. He wanted to say that if that grape-sized person without a face were to die – if it were already dead – that it would be the worst thing that had happened to him in recent memory, maybe ever. He wanted to say that every word she said and every tear that ran down her cheek were each individual knives piercing into his heart (the heart that he did have, in spite of popular belief) until it was nothing but an icy, cold pincushion.

But all of that was too much.

"Look – I just need a cup of coffee."

Seto turned and left the exam room, picking a direction and walking that way until he found a bright room with a few empty tables and a vending machine.


	9. She's asking for you

Hey guys! Thanks for sticking with this story! We've broken the 20-review threshold… woohoo! Keep them coming, they really make my day. Thanks also for the favorites and alerts. There's a lot more story left to tell, and I'm excited you want to be here for it!

* * *

Seto had found the coffee pot in the hospital lounge and already had a coffee pod and an empty paper cup in hand when he heard the voice behind him.

"Kaiba?"

As turned around and saw the person who had said his name, he felt as though his heart plummeted into his stomach.

"Yugi?" he demanded. "What are you doing here? Who told you?"

Unexpectedly, Yugi's expression went blank.

"Told me what?"

Seto's heart was pounding so loudly that he could barely process his thoughts, but he finally managed to sort out the meaning behind Yugi's words: nobody had told him anything. Not anything about Serenity, at least. He was at the hospital for another reason altogether, and the two of them had just happened to cross paths. If Seto had thought ahead thirty seconds instead of giving into panic, he could have easily come up with an excuse. Instead, he had already revealed far too much.

"Don't worry about it."

Seto turned his back on Yugi and returned to the coffee maker, but naturally, that wasn't a good enough answer.

"Told me what, Kaiba?" Yugi demanded again. "Is Mokuba okay?"

Of course. Yugi would assume it was about Mokuba.

Seto was just beginning to come back to his senses and think about how he could use this assumption to his advantage when a younger nurse – one of the ones who had been at the intake desk earlier – leaned her head in the door.

"Mr. Kaiba? They're taking Miss Wheeler to the ultrasound room. She's asking for you."

The nurse was gone before Kaiba could say anything. Quickly gathering his wits and crunching the still-empty paper coffee cup in his fist, he turned to face Yugi before the latter could even manage to put a sentence together.

"Don't say a word to anyone," he said, making his voice as threatening as possible.

Yugi, who looked as though the nurse had punched him in the face rather than delivered a piece of seemingly innocuous news, gave Kaiba a look of horror.

"What's going on?" he demanded for the third time. "Is Serenity here?"

"It's none of your business."

Abandoning his half-made coffee, he took off down the hallway. Yugi naturally followed.

"Kaiba, is Joey here? Does he know?"

Seto turned around again, fury in his eyes.

"I'll tell you one more time: do not dare say a word to anyone, least of all your stupid, mangy, blond friend. Do you understand?"

"No!" Yugi exclaimed, taking a step back but not giving in. "If Serenity's here and she's sick, Joey should know. She's his sister!"

Seto looked up at the ceiling, took a deep breath, and clenched both of his fists. Finally, he turned back to Yugi.

"Serenity is here because she's pregnant," he explained, practically spitting the words. "The baby's mine. At least, it was. She had an emergency this afternoon with a lot of bleeding, and there's a good chance the baby's not even alive anymore anyway. Serenity is, though, so soon we'll all be able to forget this whole nightmare ever happened. Now are you satisfied? More importantly, do you understand why you can't tell Joey?"

Yugi slowly raised a hand to cover his mouth, and based on his coloring and the expression in his eyes, it looked like he was about to either cry or throw up.

"How… how long has this been going on?" he demanded.

"She was only eight weeks, so not long," Seto said, having turned his back on Yugi again. He was reasonably satisfied, given the reaction the news had gotten, that Yugi wouldn't pass on any rumors.

"Kaiba, I know you need to go to her," Yugi said shakily. "But this is not normal and not okay. I'm going to find the two of you, and I want you to explain this."

Rather than responding, Seto just kept on walking.

"I know you can hear me," Yugi said sternly. "I won't say anything to Joey right now, but this isn't over."

Seto still didn't turn around, but by that point, he had made it back to the Serenity's room. When he walked in, he saw that she had already been put back in the wheelchair from earlier. Her eyes lit up when she saw him.

His stomach turned.

"This is it," she said quietly. "We get to find out… what's going on."

Seto nodded. The nurse who had gone to find him pushed Serenity's wheelchair out into the hallway, but fortunately in the opposite direction of the lounge. They passed a few exam rooms, a supply closet, and finally, they made it to a place that looked to Seto very much like a dentist's office. The placard above the door was labeled "Ultrasound Room," though, which meant it was their stop.

The nurse spoke softly to Serenity as she got her out of the wheelchair and up onto the padded exam table. She helped her take off her suede sneakers and slide her jeans down past her ankles. Strangely enough, the nurse then passed the shoes and jeans to Seto. He accepted them, albeit awkwardly. Maybe that was part of what the father was supposed to do. As he situated the folded jeans over his arms, he noticed a small red stain on them and felt a lump rise in his throat.

"I'm going to step out," the nurse told them both quietly. "The ultrasound tech will be here any minute – if you could just remove any undergarments and metal jewelry, you'll be ready to go. Regardless of what happens, it will all be okay. We'll take care of you."

After placing a paper cover over Serenity's legs, the nurse squeezed her shoulder and smiled warmly. In spite of her age – which was probably only five or six years older than Seto – there was something about her that was very comforting and almost maternal. A part of him wanted to ask her to stay, but he knew she had work to do. It also wouldn't have been wise to show that level of vulnerability.

So he let her leave with only a polite nod of recognition.

Once the nurse was gone, Serenity looked up and gave Seto a weak smile.

"You don't have to keep holding those, you know."

It took him a second, but he realized she meant the shoes and jeans.

He shrugged, and the silence resumed.

"She said we have to do an internal ultrasound," Serenity said finally. "In case the heartbeat is weak. That's why I have to take off my panties."

Her voice had cracked on the last couple of syllables, but Seto didn't mention it.

"I guess it's better to know either way."

He sat down in the chair beside her that the nurse had occupied only moments before, trying not to watch as she wiggled out of her underwear under the paper sheet and shoved them into the pocket of the sweater she wore. The silence was deafening, and it occurred to him that maybe he should take the opportunity to call Mokuba – but then he remembered that he still had both of their cell phones. He sighed.

As Seto was trying to think of something else to say, he glanced over and was startled to see that big, round tears had begun to roll down Serenity's cheeks.

"I'm sorry," she said helplessly, wiping them away as best she could. "I just keep thinking: what if they put the wand in and set up the computer and we don't hear anything? What will we say or do?"

"I'll pay them and we'll go home," Seto replied.

Serenity shook her head.

"But almost nobody knew the baby existed," she said. "I won't be able to express myself or deal with it, not really. Joey never even knew."

"Well… Yugi knows," Seto heard himself blurt out.

Momentarily distracted, Serenity gave him a look of shock.

"Yugi?! Since when?"

"Since about five minutes ago. I ran into him in the lounge. He was standing there when the nurse told me you were waiting for me, and then of course he wouldn't leave me alone until I told him what he wanted to know. I threatened him pretty well though; I think he'll stay quiet."

"What was he doing here?" Serenity demanded.

It occurred to Kaiba for the first time since he had run into Yugi that it had never even crossed his mind to ask.

He almost felt bad.

"I don't know," he confessed.

Serenity sighed deeply, looking as though she were in thought.

"Probably his grandpa. I hope he's okay."

Seto didn't say anything, so she went on.

"I guess the cat's out of the bag, then, at least as far as he's concerned. I think you're right – he won't be the one to tell Joey – but you better believe he won't leave us alone until one of us does."

Seto smirked.

"That did seem to be what he was implying."

A moment of silence passed between them, interrupted only by the shuffling of nurses' feet in the hallway.

"He's a good guy though. Yugi, I mean," Serenity said. "He's really loyal to my brother, and he's so kind to everyone. He's just always going to stand up for what he things is the right thing to do."

"Trust me," Seto replied. "I've been on the receiving end of more than one lecture from him."

Before Serenity could respond, a tall, graying man walked into the room, carrying the same clipboard the nurse had earlier.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Lee," he said, nodding to each of them in turn.

If the doctor felt any shock at seeing Seto Kaiba in his ultrasound room, he concealed it well. Taking out the chart and flipping through it, he took a seat on the stool beside Serenity.

"If you'll confirm for me, miss, the date of your LMP," he said.

"January seventeenth," she replied, not missing a beat. Clearly she had already thought all of that through.

The doctor scanned through the chart, nodding to himself.

"So you would be nearly eight weeks, then. Estimated due date of October twenty-fifth."

Seto felt his heart skip a beat.

If the baby was okay, Serenity would be giving birth on his birthday.

He felt like that had to mean something, but he wasn't sure what.

"Have you had your first meeting with your GYN yet?" the doctor continued.

"No, it was scheduled for Tuesday of next week."

"Okay, that's fine," the doctor replied. "Can you describe your symptoms for me, then?"

"Well, I woke up this morning and everything was pretty normal. I went to work like usual, but when I went home for lunch, I noticed a little bit of blood and wondered where it was coming from. I decided to call out for the rest of the day just in case, and within the hour, I was bleeding really heavily, and there were a couple of big black-looking chunks. The EMTS told me they were probably clots."

The doctor continued to nod and take notes.

"Any pain?" he asked.

"A little cramping."

Dr. Lee added one more quick note and then put the clipboard on the counter beside him. He folded his hands and looked at each of them.

"I probably don't have to tell you that a large amount of bleeding at the beginning of a pregnancy isn't ideal," he said patiently. "You know that much, or you wouldn't be here. But bleeding – even as much as you describe – doesn't necessarily mean all is lost."

Serenity seemed as though an enormous load had been taken off her shoulders.

"What would you say the odds are?" she asked breathlessly.

"It's hard to say," Doctor Lee replied. "But the presence or absence of a heartbeat right now will tell us quite a bit. If you'll allow me, I'll get the wand positioned and then we'll talk about what we're looking at."

Seto found himself suddenly uncomfortable as the doctor shifted the paper sheet. It occurred to him that most expectant fathers would have probably seen the mothers of their children naked more than twice, both in the same twenty-four hour period. His hesitancy to watch what was actually going on caused him to direct his gaze to the blank screen, which he found himself hoping wouldn't stay blank much longer.

"Okay, in a moment, you'll see a black circle surrounded by white appear on the screen," Dr. Lee directed. "Ah – there it is. What you're looking at is your uterus. The little white spot there is your baby."

Serenity's eyes widened.

"But is it – "

Serenity's voice faded as Dr. Lee manipulated something on the machine and a soft pulsing sound filled the small room.

"And there's the heartbeat," the older man said. "Congratulations, Miss Wheeler. Your baby is very much alive."

Seto felt an emotion he could neither identify nor describe wash over him. He felt as though he could have broken down or cried, but he also felt a relief so intense that he could never have imagined how it could exist. He suddenly experienced a powerful compulsion to pick Serenity up off of the table and lock his arms around her.

Naturally, he resisted it with every fiber of his being. For so many reasons.

"If the baby's okay, why was I bleeding so much?" Serenity asked. The same tears of relief that he had resisted flowed freely down her cheeks.

"I'm looking at the ultrasound, and to be honest, I'm not seeing anything out of the ordinary," Dr. Lee admitted. "There are a number of possible reasons for bleeding in the first trimester, and from what I'm seeing here, we can at least rule out ectopic pregnancy, and I don't see any abnormalities with the placenta."

"So where do we go from here?" Seto demanded. "Are she and the baby going to be okay?"

"I would say, based on what I'm seeing, that there's no major problem," the doctor replied. "What I think we may be looking at is a phenomenon called 'decidual bleeding,' which is basically when an imbalance in the hormones causes a something like a small period during the first trimester. It's short-lived and not fatal for anybody. In fact, I would be surprised if it lasts through the night."

Serenity nodded, looking almost exhausted with relief. Dr. Lee observed the screen a moment more, then turned to address the two of them.

"I'm going to ease the wand out here, and we can all talk about our options."

Seto looked away again, feeling awkward as ever as the doctor shifted the sheet to remove the ultrasound equipment. Only when he heard the sound of buttons on the machine being pushed did he turn back around and face Dr. Lee and Serenity, who gave him a weak smile and nod.

"To be perfectly honest," the doctor began, "I really don't see any cause for keeping you here overnight."

Serenity's eyes widened and she opened her mouth as though to speak, but Seto beat her to the punch.

"What's that?" he asked.

"I was just telling Miss Wheeler that I would be willing to clear her to go home and sleep in her own bed tonight."

It was evident from the doctor's tone that for the first time since his arrival, Seto's attitude was beginning to grate on him.

"She's just been bleeding all day," Seto said incredulously, "and you take a quick look at your computer screen and play with some buttons and you're ready to discharge her just like that?"

"I'm sorry if you find this in any way disagreeable," Dr. Lee replied, his politeness sounding forced. "But about one in five women experience prenatal bleeding during the first trimester, and in the absence of any red flags on the ultrasound, it's completely normal to send the patient home. In fact, depending on her insurance, it's unlikely that she'll be covered for a night as an inpatient given her symptoms - or lack thereof."

"So it's an issue of money, then?" Seto demanded. "Well, allow me to assure you, I don't have issues with money. She's been bleeding all day, and I say she stays."

The doctor took a deep breath and closed Serenity's file. His expression was difficult to read, but he didn't raise his voice.

"Fine then," he replied simply. "If you're so convinced that's the best course of action, I suppose we can work something out."

"Why thank you."

The doctor chose to ignore Seto from that point forward and addressed Serenity directly.

"Miss Wheeler, I truly believe that your pregnancy is going to move forward without any complications. However, since we aren't in any way overcrowded and it sounds like your partner is putting his foot down, I'm going to give you this hospital gown and let the nursing staff know to put you down as an overnight patient."

"Thank you," she replied, accepting the folded garment. "Do… do I go back to the same room as before?"

"You may. A nurse will come by shortly to check on you and an orderly will bring you something to eat a little later this evening."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Serenity watched as Dr. Lee gave Seto a long look before departing the room.


	10. You can just leave

Happy Sunday! I'm updating a day early because I CAN. Haha!

R/R, and enjoy. :P

* * *

As they headed back to the original room - the kind, maternal nurse from before pushing Serenity's wheelchair - the hospital seemed almost peaceful. Seto realized that he had started to breathe normally and his heart rate had slowed back down, which also caused him to realize just how panicked he had been earlier. In that way, the measure of his relief was also a measure of how anxious he was before, and he found himself shocked and uncomfortable that he had reacted to the afternoon's events so strongly. He wasn't sure what that said about him or the situation, and he also wasn't sure whether he had the energy to tackle that question.

To make matters even more complicated, as they entered the room, he was shaken from his thoughts by the sight of both Mokuba and Yugi waiting inside.

The former leapt up, his eyes wide with concern.

"Hey! Yugi told me that something bad happened!" he exclaimed. "What's the matter?"

"It's a lot to go into, but it's going to be okay," Serenity replied from the wheelchair, giving him a tired but reassuring smile. "We'll explain in a minute."

Mokuba opened his mouth to respond, but the nurse raised a hand for silence.

"I'm sorry," she said. "But I need to get Miss Wheeler settled for the night. Can the two of you step out into the hallway for a moment?"

Seto looked at Yugi and Mokuba and realized that they were the two she was addressing, and as far as the nurse was concerned, he was welcome to remain in the room with Serenity if he chose. However, he was desperate for a moment with his brother.

"Go on," Serenity urged him, noticing that he was conflicted. "I'll be fine."

Seto nodded, thinking that maybe he should say something else, but he found himself ushered out into the hallway before he could think of what that would be.

He did, however, know exactly what he wanted to ask Mokuba.

"How did you know where to find us?" Seto demanded once the door was shut behind him. "I have your phone with me."

"Exactly," his brother replied. "I've lost it so many times that a few weeks ago, I finally enabled the tracker. Today, as soon as I realized I didn't have the phone with me, I logged into my account remotely and traced it. I saw that it was at the hospital and put two and two together."

For a fraction of a second, Seto relaxed enough to give him a look of pride.

"Good job, little brother."

"Thanks."

"And as for you... what are you still doing here?" Seto demanded, his expression hardening again as he looked over at Yugi. "You've found out she's okay, so go home."

Mokuba chose that moment to jump in.

"Seto, Yugi was really helpful to me this afternoon. I was having trouble finding the room the nurses gave me, and I ran into him and he helped me find my way here. He also told me what you told him, so I had an idea of what was going on. And besides... he's Serenity's friend, too."

Seto sighed, looking back and forth between the two of them.

"Yugi, I suppose I appreciate you keeping my brother company, but that still doesn't make this any of your business. That said, I don't have the power to throw you out, so if you want to say a few words to Serenity, that's your prerogative."

Yugi nodded solemnly, but he still wasn't given a chance to talk, because at that moment the door opened again.

"She's settled in," the nurse announced, beckoning the three of them back into the room. "An orderly will come by in a few minutes to check on her. In the meantime, we ask that you limit the number of guests. The official number for daytime visitors is three, so what you have now is fine, but please don't bring along anyone else. Starting at 8 PM, however, the limit becomes one overnight guest."

The three agreed and the nurse departed.

"Hey Yugi," Serenity called from the bed. "What brings you here? Is everything alright?"

"My grandpa's dealing with some recurring infections, but he's going to be fine. They've started him on a new round of antibiotics and they're just keeping him overnight to run some tests," Yugi replied. "What I want to know how is _you're_ doing."

Serenity paused once he said that. It looked to Seto as though she had been hoping the conversation wouldn't come back around to her so quickly.

"There's a lot to go into, but like I told Mokuba, I'm going to be okay," she said finally. "And it looks like the baby is, too. But that said… I guess I have some explaining to do, huh?"

"It can wait," Yugi replied. "You should take a second to relax."

The tension was thick, but over the course of the next few minutes, Mokuba found a place to sit at the edge of the bed, Seto took a seat in the chair, and in the absence of any more comfortable options, Yugi settled for the vacated wheelchair. When it began to seem as though nobody knew exactly where to go from there, Serenity finally took a deep breath and broke the silence, addressing Yugi.

"The bottom line is that I'm two months pregnant, and the baby is Seto's. I came in today because I was having some bleeding. It scared me a lot when I didn't know what was going on, but I've gotten an ultrasound now, and the doctor said he doesn't think it's anything major. In fact, he was ready to send me home, but Seto told him I should stay overnight."

At those words, Mokuba glanced over at Seto, who nodded almost imperceptibly.

 _Of course Seto would choose to err on the side of caution, and of course it was because of their mother. As they both knew, he had already watched this same drama play out nearly twenty years before, and he was going to do everything in his power to change the ending the second time around._

Yugi appeared as though he may have noticed the look that passed between them, but he didn't comment.

"Mokuba, there's no way I could have done this without your brother," Serenity continued. "To be totally honest, I actually called your phone first because I was afraid I was overreacting and I didn't want to bother Seto. I was really startled when he was the one who picked up, but it ended up working out. He dropped everything and met me at the door and made sure every nurse and every doctor gave me their complete attention. I don't know what would have happened if he hadn't been here."

Mokuba smiled in a way that suggested he wasn't as surprised as Serenity imagined he might be.

"I don't doubt it," he said. "If there's one thing Seto's good at, it's getting things done. But hey… I want to do my part, too. Anybody hungry, by any chance?"

Taking off his backpack and unzipping it, Mokuba pulled out a few white cardboard containers of what was unmistakably Chinese take-out, and Seto watched Serenity's eyes light up.

"You're the best!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "What did you get?"

"Spring rolls, fried rice, and pork dumplings. Let's get a buffet started."

He began to open the containers and set them on the table that hung over Serenity's hospital bed along with chopsticks, napkins, and a few bottles of water. Once the spread was complete, the two of them each took a pair of chopsticks and passed the containers back and forth, Serenity marveling over the food and admitting that she hadn't even realized how hungry she was.

While they were preoccupied, Seto turned to Yugi.

"If you have some kind of master plan to get Wheeler here and solve all our problems with a family reunion, you can just leave," he hissed. "The situation is under control. I've said it before and I'll say it again: _this isn't your business._ "

Yugi sighed.

"Kaiba, I don't _want_ to tell anybody what to do - "

"Good, then don't. Turn around and walk right back out that door. Go back to your grandfather, and keep what you've learned tonight to yourself."

Yugi paused, shaking his head.

"Part of me wishes I could. But I just care too much about everyone involved."

Seto moved to reply, but he stopped short as he realized that the room had fallen silent. Looking up quickly, he found that Serenity and Mokuba were both looking up from their meal, and they had both apparently heard at least the end part of the conversation.

Serenity put down the carton of fried rice that she had been holding and gave Yugi a meaningful look.

"It's been good to see you, Yugi," she said. "You've been really understanding, and I appreciate how concerned you are about me. But from what I'm hearing… it sounds like there's something you want to talk about."

Though she didn't come right out and say it, Seto was certain that everyone - including her - knew exactly what Yugi was going to bring up.

"I guess, more than anything… I just want you to tell me why you haven't told Joey."

And there it was.

Serenity looked over at Seto, then back to Yugi.

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked. "You know my brother better than anyone. He would lose his _mind_.

This all happened completely by accident, but you know he wouldn't take my word for it. He would jump to his own conclusions and go after Seto."

"You're probably not wrong," Yugi agreed, "but even if that's the case, he's still your brother, and the two of you live together. He's going to find out eventually, don't you think?"

"He is, but I want it to be on my terms. Under the right circumstances,"

"And... those circumstances haven't happened yet?" Yugi asked gently. "Didn't you say you were already two months along?"

Kaiba had heard enough. He leaned forward, scowling.

"Why is it, _exactly_ , that she has to make decisions about her life based on your timeline and your expectations?"

"She doesn't," Yugi admitted. He hadn't even flinced at Kaiba's tone and expression, though many a lesser man would have. "I just feel bad for Joey. He's my best friend, and he loves Serenity more than anything. If anything were to happen to her and I had known something but not said anything to him, I would feel awful."

"Well, there are more important matters at hand here than your self-righteousness and guilty conscience, aren't there?" Kaiba demanded. "So how about you keep your opinions to yourself?"

"Seto - "

Mokuba started to cut in, but Serenity interrupted him.

"Yugi's got a point," she said firmly. "I've been lying to Joey for two months now. And I've hated every minute of it, but I thought I was doing what was best for everyone. I'll be the first to admit that it's getting out of hand. Now that it's been this long, though, I really don't know where to start."

They all paused and looked around at one another. Between the four of them, there was a spectrum of emotions: Yugi looked resolute, Kaiba looked angry, Serenity looked guilty, and Mokuba mostly looked bewildered.

Incidentally, that didn't keep him from speaking up first.

"Yugi, Serenity was right when she said that you know Joey better than anyone," he said. "Do you have any ideas about how to break the news?"

"I think the sooner, the better," Yugi suggested. "And it actually occurred to me that maybe it shouldn't be Serenity that does it."

They all looked around at one another.

"Who, then?" Seto challenged.

"If you two wouldn't mind… I'll volunteer."

"You would do that for me?" Serenity asked, incredulous.

"For you, but also for Joey," Yugi replied. "I want to be there for him when he finds out, and I think the best way to make sure that happens is to do it myself. I can even go tonight, if you want."

Mokuba looked at Seto.

"I'm going with him," he said decisively.

"Mokuba, I don't - " Yugi began.

"I want to!" the former insisted. "I want to do it for Joey, but also for _my_ brother. I want to make sure that somebody's there to tell Joey that Seto's taking responsibility and that he cares a lot about Serenity, because that's not what Joey's going to think."

"Mokuba, you know I would tell him all of that," Yugi said.

"But it will mean more coming from me."

"I think the two of you should go together," Serenity agreed. "For moral support. I feel guilty for not doing it myself, and I probably always will. But I think Yugi's right: he should know as soon as possible, and if he can hear it from two of his friends, it will be easier to take."

"You just focus on feeling better," Yugi assured her. "We'll get it all taken care of."

* * *

...

Stay tuned - next chapter we tell Joey! Ahhh! ( O^O )!


	11. I thought I liked you, kid

Thanks, as always, for the follows, favs, and especially, reviews! Here we goooooo!

* * *

"There's Joey's truck," Yugi sighed as Mokuba pulled into the small parking lot of Solomon's game shop. "I guess it's now or never, huh?"

"I'm starting to think we should just go with 'never,'" Mokuba replied, putting his Porsche in park. "Serenity and my brother had a good streak going - nearly two months in, and Joey still has no idea. I know he'll start asking questions sooner or later, but can't we just tell him she got fat?"

Yugi chuckled, but the sound was humorless.

"I know this won't be pleasant, but he deserves to know what's going on, too. As much as anyone does."

"I know, I know."

Though it was nearly April and spring was fast approaching, Domino still got cool once the sun went down. Yugi found himself pulling his jacket more tightly around his shoulders as they made the trek up the wooden stairs that would take them directly to his attic bedroom. Fumbling with the keys, he finally managed to find the right one and get the door open.

A blast of warmer air greeted them as he pulled the door open and they made their way in. Flopping down on Yugi's bed, Mokuba sighed with relief.

"I'm in the mood for a nap," he confessed, kicking off his shoes.

"Oh no you don't," Yugi said. "You're here to stick up for your brother, remember? Let's go, before we lose our nerve."

Sighing again, Mokuba got to his feet and shook out his arms and legs.

"Alright… time to bite the bullet."

As they left Yugi's room and made their way to the indoor stairs, the sounds of a first-person shooter being played on an Xbox drifted up to where they stood.

"Well… at least he'll have a way to vent his frustration," Mokuba suggested.

Yugi smiled weakly.

"Can't hurt, I guess."

As soon as they started their descent, Joey heard the footsteps and glanced up from where he sat on the floor surrounded by empty cans and chip bags. His expression immediately brightened.

"Mokuba! Yug! Get down here, I'm almost done with this round. We can do multiplayer for the next one. I gotta warn you though, I'm getting pretty good!"

Mokuba glanced over his shoulder and locked eyes with Yugi, who was looking increasingly anxious. It seemed like something about seeing his best friend in front of him in the flesh - so calm, so easygoing, so unaware that the biggest bomb of his life was about to be dropped on him - caused the reality of what he was about to do to sink in like it hadn't before.

"Actually… Joey, there's something Mokuba and I wanted to talk to you about," he said.

As they got to the bottom of the stairs, it seemed as though Joey was registering what his best friend had just said. He paused the game and put the controller down, giving them a look of concern.

"Is everybody okay?" he asked. "I noticed your grandpa wasn't here when I got in. I used the spare key under the flowerpot. I hope that's okay - I put it back and all. It seemed strange that he wasn't here, but I figured he might just be out doing his weekly grocery run so I didn't get too worked up."

"Well, uh, Grandpa actually _is_ in the hospital," Yugi admitted. "But it's just a minor kidney infection and a little bit of dehydration. He's already responding to the antibiotics and fluids and they're discharging him tomorrow morning. It's nothing big."

"Yug, you should have called me!" Joey scolded. "I feel like a real jerk just sitting here playing games. Did Mokuba pick you up from the hospital, then?"

Mokuba and Yugi shared another look, the former nodding as though to confirm that the time had finally come.

"Actually, that brings us to the other part that we needed to tell you," Yugi said. "And I don't mean to be dramatic or anything, but you might want to sit down for this part. I mean sit for real - like, in a chair."

Joey, whose expression was slowly evolving from concern to panic, gave Mokuba a look that seemed to be begging for help or at least clarification. Seeing the younger man nod solemnly, Joey got to his feet and walked over to one of Solomon's worn green couches. As soon as he was settled, he resumed looking back and forth anxiously between Yugi and Mokuba.

"Something's really wrong," he said. "I can tell from the way you're acting."

"Well, let's get one thing out of the way first," Yugi replied. "Everybody's okay. I mean, like, nobody's life is in danger or anything."

Joey immediately looked as though he felt a little bit of relief, but it was also clear that his confusion had only intensified.

"That said, you do need to know that Serenity's in the hospital," Yugi finished.

Just like that, all the color drained from Joey's face. Any momentarily relief he had felt was already long forgotten.

"Why didn't she call me?" he demanded, his voice going up an octave. "What's the matter? Is it her eyes again? Is there an infection?"

"Joey... she's pregnant," Mokuba said.

Serenity's older brother and one-time best friend didn't respond immediately, but his hands began to tremble where they sat, folded, on his knees.

"She's… what?"

"She's pregnant, Joey," Yugi said softly. "She has been for about two months."

Joey's shaking hands slowly moved up to his messy blonde hair, where he clutched handfuls of it - whether with the intention of pulling it out in anguish or just anchoring his hands (which were trembling ever more violently), it was hard to tell.

"That's impossible," Joey said quietly. "This is a joke. I've lived with her for two years. She would have told me. As soon as she knew, she would have told me. She's not like that, she doesn't keep secrets."

"I know," Mokuba said sadly.

"There's just no way," Joey insisted. "You're… you're _lying_."

"We're not," Yugi replied. "Joey, you're my best friend. I would never lie to you about something like this. She had some complications, but she's going to be okay. She's just staying at the hospital so the doctors can keep an eye on her."

Though Joey still looked as though there were ten thousand thoughts racing through his mind, his expression was dominated by a combination of sadness, bewilderment, and hurt.

"Why didn't she tell me any of this?" he demanded, his voice catching. "We've always been there for each other. We've never kept a secret from each other in our lives."

"She would have, Joey," Mokuba said. "I know she would have. She was just afraid of what your reaction would be… when you found out who the baby's father was."

Joey looked up, his eyes wide. It was almost as though he had begun to accept the fact that his little sister might actually be pregnant, but he hadn't followed that line of reasoning far enough to realize that at some point along the way, there would have to have been some man who played a role in making her that way.

His sadness transformed instantly into anger. It was clear that Joey - ironically much like Kaiba - was someone who was much more at home being aggressive than being sad or frightened. The transition had been easy, and in its own way, it seemed as though it had been a source of comfort.

"Who is that slimy son-of-a-bitch?" Joey demanded, turning back to Yugi and Mokuba. "Who did this to her? I don't care what she says, I'll kick his ass. I'll kill him."

"And _this_ is what she was afraid of," Mokuba sighed.

Turning on him, Joey grabbed his shoulders.

"What's this got to do with you?" he demanded. "How come you know so much? It's not you, is it?"

Yugi quickly put a hand on Joey's arm.

"Joey, take a deep breath," he cautioned.

Joey jerked away.

"I thought I liked you, kid," he shouted at Mokuba, "no matter who your brother is. But I know how you are, taking girls out in that fancy car and getting into clubs and buying them all those drinks. If I find it was you that did this to my baby sister - "

"It wasn't _me_!" Mokuba exclaimed, swatting away the finger that Joey pointed in his face. "It _was_ my brother!"

The silence that fell between the three of them was instant. It was also as heavy and electric as the hot, windless air before a tornado appears. Joey's hands dropped as though he had received a real physical shock. Yugi gave Mokuba an accusatory look, as though blaming him for conveying such serious information so flippantly out of anger. Mokuba almost looked a little bit guilty for a moment, but by that point, Yugi had already leapt into action.

There was nothing else to do except damage control.

"Now, Joey - " he started, holding up both his hands.

"Just tell me one thing," Joey said, seemingly abandoning Mokuba to face Yugi. "Is this brat telling the truth? Did _Kaiba_ get _my sister_ pregnant?"

Yugi paused.

"Before you overreact, you've got to -"

The hesitation, combined with the warning, were enough of a confirmation for Joey.

"I'm leaving," he growled under his breath. "Don't follow me."

Yugi and Mokuba looked at each other. They didn't even exchange words, because they both knew exactly what had to be done: _stop Joey at any cost_ , before he did something that got him arrested or someone else dead - or both.

Mokuba lunged forward, and his height advantage allowed him to grab Joey around the waist as he headed for the door.

"I _said_ don't follow me!" Joey shouted, trying to shake Mokuba loose. The latter, however, held on impressively, even when he came close to catching an elbow in the eye.

"You've got to listen to what we have to say before you go off getting into trouble!" he insisted. "It's not what you think! You don't know everything there is to know about my brother."

"I know plenty."

With that, Joey grabbed hold of Mokuba's upper arms and physically shoved him away. Though he had struggled valiantly, Mokuba was lanky, and his height was no match for Joey's raw strength. He stumbled in defeat, landing on his knees on the floor of the game shop.

Yugi rushed forward, one arm extended.

"Joey, don't -"

But his voice trailed off, because Joey was already reaching for the doorknob.


	12. I know it's hard for you to believe

To everyone's surprise, the door suddenly opened by itself - to reveal a disheveled-looking Duke Devlin.

"Hey guys!" he exclaimed, smiling widely.

That smile clearly wasn't meant to last.

Duke barely had time to take in Mokuba sprawled on the floor, Yugi leaning forward helplessly, and the mess in front of the Xbox before Joey violently shoved him back out the door.

"Hey!" Duke exclaimed. "What's _the matter_ with you?"

And by a stroke of luck none of them could have foreseen, he was just angry enough to grab hold of the collar of Joey's jacket.

"That's it, Duke - don't let go!" Mokuba exclaimed. He leapt to his feet and followed Yugi, who was rushing over to the door to take advantage of their good fortune and try to get Joey back inside. Before Joey had time to react to all of this, Tristan walked around the corner of the game shop and paused in shock at the scene before him.

"Hey, what gives?" he demanded. "I was just taking two minutes to park the car, but it looks like I missed something huge!"

Apparently Yugi managed to successfully mime something to Tristan amidst the chaos, because Tristan nodded and grabbed hold of Joey, who was still actively trying to disentangle himself from Duke's grasp.

"Hold on, cowboy," he said. "Yugi's freaking out over here. I think you need to hang around so we can get all this sorted out - whatever it is."

"There's nothing to 'sort out,'" Joey snapped, still trying to twist free. "Leave me alone so I can go _kill Kaiba!_ "

Tristan and Duke gave Yugi and Mokuba looks of confusion, but neither immediately spoke up to offer an explanation.

"Uh, you know I'm not Kaiba's biggest fan either, but this still seems a little rash," Tristan said, trying to guide Joey back inside. "Can we at least talk about it first?"

When Joey attempted to resist again, Duke grabbed hold of his other arm.

As strong as Joey was, he was no match for both of them, and he knew it. Taking a deep, rattling breath, he gave up and allowed them to maneuver him back into the game shop and push him down onto of the green sofas, one taking a seat on each side of him lest he attempt to bolt again. Yugi found a place to sit on the ottoman across from them, and Mokuba leaned against the wall nearby, looking a little bit sulky.

"Now that we're all a little more comfortable, anyone care to explain what's going on?" Tristan demanded. "What's got you all stirred up about Kaiba - was he here?"

"No," Mokuba replied coldly. "He's at the hospital with Serenity."

Joey's eyes narrowed, but he didn't say anything.

"Whoa, whoa, what?" Duke demanded. "Somebody just tell the story from the beginning, please."

Yugi took a deep breath.

"Okay, so I was at the hospital with grandpa today. He's fine, so that's good - but when I went to the lounge to get something out of the vending machine, I ran into Kaiba. I asked him what he was doing there, because I was worried something had happened to Mokuba."

"Okay, makes sense so far," Tristan said.

Yugi nodded.

"Kaiba didn't really want to talk to me, if you can believe that, but a nurse interrupted and said that somebody named Miss Wheeler was waiting for him. After that, I pushed him harder, and he finally admitted to me that he was there with Serenity, and it was because she was pregnant - and the baby was his."

Tristan and Duke's expressions weren't far from Joey's when he first got the news, only more shocked than enraged.

"What?!" Tristan demanded. "Serenity, pregnant? And from Kaiba? That's got to be some kind of mistake. They barely even know each other."

"That's what I thought, too, but I heard it directly from Kaiba himself," Yugi said. "I didn't want to believe it, but he hasn't got any reason to lie about something like that. I also talked to Serenity after her ultrasound, and she told me the same thing. She's definitely pregnant... and it's definitely his."

Joey's face glowed red, but for once, it didn't seem like he had anything to say.

"This is crazy… Is she like, having the baby now?" Duke asked.

From where he stood against the wall, Mokuba snorted.

"No, not yet," Yugi replied. "She's only two months along. She had some bleeding, so she went to the ER to make sure everything was okay. It is, but they want to keep her overnight to be safe."

The five of them sat in silence for a moment.

"Well Joey, now that I know why you were on your way to kill Kaiba, I can't say that I blame you too much," Tristan said finally. "This is a huge shock. Although, I guess it does explain what was wrong with her that night here at the Game Shop."

"Do you know anything about the circumstances?" Duke asked. "Like, it wasn't... ?"

His voice trailed off, but they all knew what he had intended to say.

"Despite what you all seem to think, my brother isn't a rapist," Mokuba snapped. "And he doesn't deserve whatever you seem to want to do to him, because Serenity was just as involved in making this baby as he was. And from what they say, she was just as enthusiastic."

Joey moved as though to lunge toward Mokuba, but Tristan and Duke anticipated him and pushed him back down. Mokuba, who hadn't even flinched, gave him a sneer that was truly worthy of a Kaiba.

Joey's expression was positively venomous.

"Wipe that look off your face, you little - "

"Hey!" Yugi interrupted, sounding as though he knew someone ought to take charge but he wished with everything in him that that person didn't have to be him. "Mokuba, you came here for moral support, not stir things up more. I know they've said some things about your brother, but you knew what you were getting into. And Joey, lay off Mokuba. I know you're dealing with a lot, but he isn't his brother and he doesn't deserve it."

Joey and Mokuba both still looked furious, but they didn't say anything further.

"Now, we have to decide some things," Yugi continued. "I know Serenity wants to see you, Joey, but you have to promise to be calm and collected if we take you to the hospital."

"Why would she want to see me?" Joey demanded. The redness in his face was starting to recede and it was clear that he was calming down, but it was almost as though the more his anger mellowed out, the more it was replaced with hurt. "She hasn't told me for two months that she's _pregnant_. She doesn't trust me; she has a whole life I don't even know about."

"It's not like that," Yugi said, reaching out to put a hand on his friend's arm. "She trusts you and loves you more than anyone. She was just afraid of what you'd do."

"But why?" Joey insisted. "What did she think I would do?"

"No offense, buddy, but she was probably afraid of the kind of reaction we just got," Tristan said.

Joey sighed. After a moment, he nodded slowly.

"Okay. Fine. But still, why didn't she send you guys to tell me a month sooner?"

"Well, I don't know at all until a couple of hours ago," Yugi reminded him. "I'm sure she had planned to tell you soon and was thinking about how she was going to do it, but you know how it is when there's something you're dreading… you keeping planning it but keep putting it off. And Joey, not to minimize what you're going through, but Serenity's going through a lot, too. Her emotions are going crazy, she's feeling sick, she's worried about the future… she's got a lot on her plate. I know she probably should have told you sooner, but I think you have to cut her some slack. Right now, more than anything, she needs your love and support."

Joey nodded again and swallowed.

"You're right. You're always right, Yug."

They sat in silence for a minute or two, and even Mokuba relented and moved to sit on the floor closer to the others.

"It's just so _hard_ , you know?" Joey said finally, his voice cracking a little. "Hard for so many reasons. When I picture Serenity, I picture her making sandcastles and playing dress-up in Mom's high heels. It's hard to imagine her… pregnant. And from Kaiba, of all people. _Kaiba_. Like, how could that even happen?"

The other occupants of the room pretended not to notice as Joey blinked sharply.

"Joey, I know it's hard for you to believe it, but my brother's not always who you think he is," Mokuba said, more patiently than before. "They met under different circumstances than you're used to seeing him, and I guess they liked each other. And yeah, the baby was an accident. Serenity and Seto have a lot to work through. But you have to believe me when I say that he really does care about her. When he found out about the complications earlier today, he dropped everything and _raced_ to the hospital. When the nurse asked who was paying for treatment, he basically told them he'd buy the hospital, as long as she got the care she needed. I know my brother, and he doesn't do stuff like that for just anybody."

Joey studied Mokuba in silence for a moment or two.

"I can't picture it at all," he said finally. "All he's even been to me is an arrogant jerk who wouldn't give me the time of day unless he was finding a way to humiliate me. I didn't want him anywhere near my sister, and I still don't."

"I know, Joey," Yugi said. "But you can't always control things like that. And now that things are the way they are, you're probably going to have to find some common ground - or at least a way to pretend."

"Common ground," Joey scoffed. "There's no common ground. He's on another planet. But like I said before… you're always right about stuff like this. I'll probably have to find a way to deal with him eventually. Just please… don't make me do it today. I don't want him to be at the hospital when I see my baby sister. I want to talk to her and see her face. I don't want him looming around."

"I was kind of thinking that might be for the best anyway, just for today," Yugi replied. "Mokuba, why don't you call your brother and suggest that he go home and change clothes or take a nap? Joey and I can be at the hospital in a half an hour."

Mokuba nodded and pulled out his cell phone. Though he wandered into the kitchen, the words ' _Siri, call Seto'_ drifted back to where they sat.

Sighing, Joey got to his feet. Though Tristan jumped up in alarm, the former just chuckled humorlessly.

"Sit down, Tristan. I'm just going to take a piss, I'm not killing anybody."

Tristan relented and reclaimed his seat on the couch.

"Hey Yugi, would it be okay if Tristan and I hung out for awhile?" Duke asked, observing the mess of beer cars and snack wrappers on the carpet in front of the TV. "We'll clean up a little and keep an eye on stuff here around the shop."

"Yeah, that would be great, actually," Yugi replied. "If you decide to leave, just remember the spare key is under the flowerpot out front."


	13. I'm just so happy you're here

So, I have to preface this chapter by saying that halfway through the writing of it, Joey somehow turned into my husband. I guess it started with me picturing Joey driving an old truck, then I imagined him driving my husband's old truck, then I started to realize that their personalities had more in common than I realized. It's funny because I've always been a die-hard Kaiba fangirl, but I think I ended up marrying more of a Joey - haha!

Also, so sorry for the twist at the end… it wasn't planned, it just happened. I was just as surprised as you and I don't know what to do! **(╯°□°** **）╯︵ ┻━┻**

PS The songs for this chapter are both by Train: "You Better Believe" and "Brick by Brick."

* * *

Since Yugi's car was still at the hospital - and Mokuba had quietly excused himself to go meet his brother back at their house - it ended up having to be Joey who drove. Yugi watched nervously as his best friend's hands shook on the steering wheel, but to his relief, Joey drove perfectly well. So well, in fact, that it almost seemed mechanical.

"Serenity looks really good," Yugi said, feeling as though it was his duty to try to break the silence and snap Joey out of whatever had taken hold.

"Hn."

The silence resumed, so Yugi tried again.

"Look... Joey, I _know_ it destroyed her to have to keep this from you for so long. She wants to see you so badly; she told me so. In fact, she said that you were the first person she wanted to call when she saw the bleeding and got scared, she just felt so guilty about keeping the secret for so long that she didn't know where to start."

This, finally, had the desired effect.

"You mean it, Yug?" Joey asked, briefly glancing away from the road. In the glow from the traffic lights above, Yugi could see that his eyes were rimmed in red.

"Of course, Joey. I wouldn't make up something like that."

Joey sighed deeply, but he seemed to relax.

"It's just so much to try to think about," he said finally. "I mean, our mom got pregnant with me when she was Serenity's age - a little younger, even - and everything in her life went wrong after that. For my whole life, I've been doing everything I can to make sure that the cycle didn't continue with my baby sister. That's probably why I've been so protective and pushed Tristan and Duke away, you know?"

"Yeah."

"But the thing is," Joey continued, "despite everything I've done to keep her close and keep her safe, it still happened. I feel like I've failed somehow."

"But you haven't, Joey," Yugi insisted. "You've been the best brother anyone could have asked for, ever. But Serenity's still her own person and she makes her own choices. It doesn't mean she doesn't love you or you did something wrong."

"I guess."

"And hey, think of it this way," Yugi said, feeling like he might finally be getting somewhere. "Obviously you wish it could have been prevented - or at least been someone else - but at least money won't ever be a problem for her and the baby, right?"

"Yeah," Joey agreed. "I guess there's that, at least. But, you know, being poor wasn't the only thing that made my mom's life hard. It was also hard because my dad was an asshole. And Kaiba's the king of the assholes."

Yugi nodded slowly, silently, as he tried to put the thoughts in his head into words.

"I know it seems like that to us," he agreed. "But do you remember that one time at Duelist Kingdom when Kaiba met back up with us in the courtyard of the castle? How he started smiling - really smiling - when he saw Mokuba, and they ran to each other and held each other so tight it seemed like they'd never let go? I remember thinking then that maybe Kaiba's more complicated than he looks from the outside. If he could be like that with your sister, would you give him a chance?"

Joey didn't answer immediately. He merely blinked sharply, put on on his turn signal, and turned into the hospital parking lot. As he circled the lot, found a parking place, and parked the truck, the silence hovered. Only after he had pulled the key out of the ignition did he turn back to Yugi. His eyes were a little redder than they had been before.

"I don't want to think about all this anymore," he finally confessed. "I just want to hug my little sister."

* * *

The walk up to the hospital room was a bit of a blur. Though they politely declined a nurse who offered to point them in the right direction, Yugi ended up making a wrong turn after all, and they had to double back down a hallway near the trauma unit. They also got stuck on an elevator with an older woman who kept coughing into a red-tinged handkerchief. Yugi could tell that Joey's anxiety level was rising.

Once they got off the elevator, he attempted to put his friend's mind at ease.

"I promise that Serenity doesn't look sick or hurt like these other people," Yugi told Joey quietly as soon as they got off the elevator. "She looks like herself, only in a hospital gown."

Joey nodded silently, but his eyes were still wide.

"We're almost there," Yugi added. "I think she's in that third room down there, on the left."

Seeing Joey's hesitation, Yugi softened his expression.

"She wants to see you more than anything, I promise," he insisted. "Come on - the second you get in there, you'll know."

Swallowing, Joey nodded and followed Yugi to the door.

The latter leaned in first.

"Hey Serenity," he said, smiling. "I brought someone I think you'd like to see."

Stepping aside, Yugi motioned for Joey to come into view.

Once he and Serenity they saw each other, it was all over.

Joey ran over to the hospital bed and collapsed on his knees beside it, his arms locking around his sister's waist. She started to cry and pulled his head closer against her.

"Joey, I'm so, so sorry," she sobbed, running her hands through his hair. "I wanted to tell you, more than anything, I wanted to tell you, I was just so afraid…"

"I know, I know," Joey said, his voice muffled. "I'm crazy and you knew I'd fly off the handle. And you were right. But it's okay. It's all okay now. I promise, no matter what happens, it's going to be okay."

"You're not mad?" Serenity asked through her tears.

Joey and looked up, his hair messy and moisture from spent tears clinging to his cheeks.

"No, I'm not mad," he said, reaching his hand up and cupping her cheek. "I don't understand, but I'm not mad anymore."

Joey took a deep breath and got to his feet for a moment, but he ended up sitting back down beside her on the edge of the bed.

"There are a lot of things I don't know," he said, sighing. "I don't know how this happened or why it happened or why it had to be Kaiba. But I realized on the way over here that none of that matters, because it's you and me against the world. It always has been like that, and it's always gonna be like that."

Serenity nodded, crying out loud now.

"I know, I know. I'm just so happy you're here."

Yugi looked on, smiling. Serenity looked up at him in embarrassment.

"Sorry about all this," she said, smiling through her tears. "We're a little bit of a mess."

"Not at all," Yugi replied. "I'm just glad it's all working out."

They all remained that way for a moment or two, Joey and Serenity sitting on the bed and Yugi standing nearby in the doorway. It was as though something like peace and normalcy came over the room and its occupants. The storm had passed, and they were beginning to realize that they could start to rebuild and attempt to figure out how their lives were going to look from then on. It wouldn't be the same as before, but as Joey had said, it would be okay. It would be something they could live with.

As this shift occurred, it was as though practicality suddenly came back to the forefront of Joey's mind.

"Do you need anything?" he asked Serenity suddenly. "Are you hungry?"

She laughed a little.

"The hospital brought me a sandwich and baked potato earlier, but it wasn't very good. I'm okay, though; Mokuba actually gave me some takeout when he came by. Thanks for asking."

"Ah, okay," Joey replied. He paused for a minute and looked apologetic.

"Hey, if you're not going to eat that sandwich…"

Serenity laughed again, this time out loud. There was relief in the sound.

"Dig in," she said, indicating the tray, which sat abandoned on the counter against the wall.

At least some things never changed.

As Joey ate the sandwich, Serenity picked up her cell phone, swiped once or twice, and typed something. Satisfied, she put it back on the table beside her.

"Hey Yug, want some potato?" Joey offered between bites of the sandwich.

"I'm fine, thanks," Yugi replied. "I think I will sit down though, if that's okay."

"Of course!" Serenity exclaimed, indicating a chair near the bed. "Make yourself comfortable. Sorry I didn't offer earlier. I guess I have a lot on my mind."

"Don't worry at all! I definitely understand," Yugi replied. "What did the doctor tell you, exactly?"

Though he had taken her at her word when she told him that everything was going to be fine, he was beginning to realize that he hadn't heard the full story of what happened to bring her there in the first place. He also knew Joey would probably want to know.

"I was having some bleeding earlier, at work," she explained. "I wasn't even sure how serious it was or if I should go to the hospital, but Seto told me he thought I needed to. Once I got here, they immediately took me back to get an ultrasound, but the doctor didn't see anything. He didn't even think I needed to stay the night, but… well, Seto insisted, so here I am."

Joey raised an eyebrow.

" _Kaiba_ insisted?" he demanded. Though the words were muffled from his mouth being full, the skepticism was unmistakable.

"Yeah," Serenity replied. "He seemed really concerned, even after they said everything looked okay. He told the doctor that if my insurance didn't cover the overnight stay he would pay it out of pocket."

Joey swallowed, but he still didn't respond.

"Do they know what caused the bleeding, then?" Yugi asked, breaking the silence.

"They talked about something called 'decidual bleeding,'" Serenity replied, shrugging. "Neither of us had ever heard of it, but it's apparently harmless."

"But you're not, like… in pain, right?" Joey asked, suddenly looking worried again.

"Just a little cramping," Serenity assured him. "They gave me an IV because I was dehydrated, and they put some kind of muscle relaxer in there, too. I barely feel anything now. But you sound just like Mokuba - that was his first question, too."

"I'm just glad you're going to be okay. And Mokuba… he's a good kid," Joey sighed. "I owe him an apology."

Serenity looked confused, and Yugi smiled and shook his head.

"When he and Yugi told me about… you, and all this… I thought he was implying that he was the dad," Joey admitted sheepishly. "We almost duked it out. It would have kicked the poor kid's ass for no reason."

Serenity shook her head, unable to keep from smiling in spite of everything.

"Poor guy. He's a little nuts, but he means so well. He'll be a good uncle."

Joey's smile almost faltered a little, but he muscled past the impulse.

"I'm going to try, too. I want to be better from now on," he said. "I'll change some diapers and take the kid on car rides and when he gets older, teach him to play cards…"

"That's all good... except it's a girl," Serenity said, with a smile.

Joey gave her a look of surprise.

"They can already tell?"

"No," Serenity admitted. "I just know she is."

"Then a girl it is," Joey replied. "I can still teach her how to be an amazing duelist. Probably even better than if she had been a boy."

"Wheeler," came a soft voice from the doorway, "do you really think you're going to be the one to teach my daughter how to duel?"

Kaiba had gotten back early.


	14. I really thought I could have killed you

if you're reading this... thank you for your continued support! :) I really appreciate all of you who are saying that you don't usually read pregnancy stories or had given up on silentshipping, etc. but are giving this a chance - it means a lot! A couple of quick notes: if you're wondering how long this is going to go, I'd say we're about halfway there. If you're wondering why it's going to be so long… blame Kaiba. Trying to force him to develop his character is like pulling teeth. xD But anyway, back to the story! This chapter ends on a pretty chill note, but I'm going to hit you with The Anvil of Plot in the next one, so don't get too comfortable! ;)

* * *

Joey leapt up, dropping the hospital cafeteria tray and sending the foil-wrapped potato rolling. However, he had barely moved a single step forward before he froze - almost as though he had moved out of instinct but had realized just as suddenly that whatever he had been about to do wasn't an option.

"Kaiba," he growled instead, every visible muscle in body taught from the willpower it took to stand still and not give into the urge to charge forward.

The taller man lowered his head, giving a smirk of acknowledgement and stepping past Yugi, who was frozen in place where he sat.

"You can sit down, Wheeler," Kaiba said smoothly. "I didn't come here to pick a fight. I just happened to leave my phone charger."

Joey, though he was still frozen in place, locked eyes with Yugi and realized they must have been thinking the same thing: it was a flimsy pretext. Kaiba was the kind of man who would have a phone charger for his car, one for his office, and probably one for each room in his house. He must have come back to the hospital with the intent of running into Joey and settling some kind of score.

"How can you even look me in the face?" Joey demanded. The pitch of his voice had gone up in his shock, but to his credit, he still hadn't moved. "How can you set foot in this room after what you've done? You… hook up with my sister behind my back, put her in the hospital, then _lie about it?_ "

Kaiba raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to retort, but at that moment, Serenity intervened.

"Hold it, both of you," she ordered.

Joey and Kaiba both looked down at her, then back up at one another. It seemed as though they were equally stunned by the authoritative tone that came from the small woman in the hospital bed.

"Take a seat," Serenity said. "Joey, it's my fault; blame me. I texted Seto and told him to come back."

Joey's eyes widened, but she wasn't finished.

"I did it because I'm tired of lying to people and playing games to make sure certain people don't end up in the same place at the same time. I just want to live my life and not have to be on guard all the time."

Nodding slowly, Joey took a deep breath. Though he was far from calm, he forced himself to sit back down on the counter where the tray had been. He and Kaiba stared at one another for a moment, and everyone in the room seemed to be asking themselves which of them would be the first to speak up.

For whatever reason, when it ended up being Kaiba, they all realized they hadn't expected that it would be.

"I don't know what to tell you, Wheeler," he said simply. "Your sister and I didn't plan this, and I would be lying if I said I was happy about it when she told me. But we've come this far, and I plan to follow through taking responsibility for part I played."

Joey's expression was still bitter, but he looked as though he was trying to choose his words carefully.

"I don't like you, Kaiba," he said. "That wasn't ever much of a secret. When Mokuba and Yugi told me about all of this… and you… I really thought I could have killed you. When I saw your face when you walked into the room, I had to fight it all over again."

Serenity gave Joey a sidelong look.

"... but I'm beginning to realize," he continued, "that if we try to push each other around and punish each other for this, we're really punishing Serenity. And she doesn't deserve that."

From his chair near the door, Yugi smiled.

"For once, I agree," Kaiba said. "For the time being - until we know more about how the whole situation will play out - I think it's in everyone's best interest that we simply attempt to see as little of one another as possible. After all, this has been going on for two months and you've been none the wiser, so there's no reason to think our paths will suddenly start crossing now."

Joey's expression darkened. Clearly, he didn't appreciate the subtle reminder that he had been the last one to find out about the pregnancy.

But at the same time, he couldn't deny the truth in Kaiba's words.

"Fair enough," he agreed finally. "You'll live your life and I'll live mine. We'll grin and bear it through a few baby showers and an ultrasound. Serenity lives with me, and the bills get forwarded to you."

The two shared a gaze that was clouded by mistrust and disdain… but at least it was shared.

"This is better," Serenity interjected. "Thank you so much. Both of you. Nobody asked for this - not either of you, and not me either - but we're all just making the best of the situation in our own ways. I'm so relieved. I can't even believe how relieved I am about this."

Joey gave Serenity a look of warmth. Kaiba gave a look of discomfort to nobody in particular.

"The hospital said one person could spend the night," Serenity suggested timidly. "Now that you're both here - "

"Wheeler, you can stay," Kaiba announced. "I have plenty of work waiting for me at home. I trust that you'll give my… _regards_ to any doctor or nurse who thinks they get away with giving your sister anything but the utmost care and attention?"

Joey nodded. His expression was guarded - as though he felt some admiration or approval for what Kaiba was saying, but he couldn't bring himself to express it because of the person who was saying it.

Kaiba turned next to Serenity. It seemed as though he knew that in any sort of normal circumstance, he should have given her a kiss goodbye or at least a few tender words, but this was anything but a normal circumstance.

"Serenity… you've been brave today," he said instead. "Allow me to express my genuine admiration as well as my relief that things turned out the way they did. I'll be back tomorrow morning to check on your progress. I can only assume that Mokuba will want to come as well."

Serenity nodded.

"Thanks for everything," she said. "You… really came through for me."

Kaiba merely nodded and turned to leave. Once he was safely out the door, Joey made a face.

" _Allow me express my genuine admiration as well as my relief_ ," he mimicked in a high-pitched voice that sounded little like Kaiba. Serenity hit him on the shoulder, but she couldn't help but laugh.

"Joey, _don't_ ," she said. "He's not who you think he is. At least, not all the time."

Joey rolled his eyes.

"If you say so. But Serenity, just square with me. You made a mistake. I get it. We all make them. But of all people, _why_ did it have to be Kaiba that you made this mistake with? What were you thinking?"

"To be honest, I wasn't thinking about much at the time," she admitted. "Which is kind of how I got into this situation in the first place. It was the night of your birthday party - "

"Ugh, of course it was. Everything that I remember about that night was a disaster."

"Well, Mai and I went downtown, and she went off with some other people - "

Joey started to interrupt again, but Serenity cut him off.

" - and what ended up happening isn't her fault, because she invited me to come with her, but I was exhausted and decided to get a cab home instead. I was really drowsy waiting outside, so I was texting to stay awake, and I saw that I had missed a message from Seto."

"How did he have your number?" Joey demanded, clearly shocked.

"It happened when I was a barista at Coffeeworks last Fall," Serenity admitted. "He liked to call in orders ahead of time, and he was a good tipper, so I gave him my personal cell number. I guess as time went by, we sort of flirted a little, and… well…"

Serenity's voice trailed off, but Joey was already shaking his head in frustration and disbelief.

"I thought you had better judgment than that," he said sadly.

"Joey - " Yugi began cautiously.

"No, he's right," Serenity said. "Knowing what I do about your history with him, I probably should have been more cautious. But the thing is, he really came across as gentleman. He made me laugh and told me interesting things about his life. I decided I wanted the chance to make my own judgment about him."

"And there you have it: he's an even better manipulator than I thought," Joey growled. "What a snake. And look, clearly he got what he wanted out of you."

"Hey!" Serenity scolded. "I knew that when you found out about all this, your first reaction would be to assume that I'm some poor victim and Kaiba's an awful villain who preyed on me. But that's not the truth. I don't claim to know everything about him, but I've thought about all this a lot. You know somebody with his money and status can get sex on demand, so I don't think it was all about that. I think he actually must have liked having somebody to talk to about things in his life. We actually really liked each other. Granted, he's not very good at connecting with people, and he hasn't handled all this perfectly, but the bottom line is that I'm not a victim. You can be mad at me if you want, but I don't want your pity and I don't want you to think he warped my mind and seduced me."

Joey looked massively uncomfortable - for several reasons. Firstly, it was apparent that there was nothing at all he liked about hearing 'Kaiba' and 'sex' in the same sentence, least of all from his baby sister. There was also a hint of betrayal, most likely owing to the fact that Serenity had been in communication with Kaiba for a number of months while living under his roof.

"And Joey..." Serenity continued. "Please don't take this personally. It's not like I'm some rebellious kid who went out looking for your worst enemy to text behind your back. We live in a small town, and he and I ran into each other. After that, it happened just like I told you: I kind of liked him, and things… evolved."

"Alright, alright," Joey relented. His discomfort was waning as exhausting began to take its place. "We've handled what we gotta handle. I just want to hang out for awhile."

Serenity smiled.

"I should probably get going," Yugi said. "The nurse told us only one person can stay the night, and we'll probably get in trouble the next time she makes a round. But you guys sleep well. Call me if you need anything."

"Hey, Yug - " Joey called.

The former turned back around from where he stood in the doorway.

"Thanks, buddy."

"Anytime."


	15. I don't think it will do any good

Sorry for the delay, but I promise I haven't given up or hiatused this one. Thanks for the continued feedback. :)

* * *

The night passed uneventfully. Joey's snoring was as awful as ever and the hospital mattress was thin and hard, but Serenity was so exhausted that she barely noticed either one. The moment she rested her head on the pillow, she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep that remained interrupted until an orderly arrived with a breakfast tray at seven the following morning.

Rubbing her eyes and yawning, Serenity looked over the food: a few orange slices, a bowl of oatmeal, and a granola bar.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Joey greeted her. "Get some good rest?"

"Really good," she replied. "You?"

Joey shrugged sheepishly.

"Here and there. The chair was a little hard."

"I'm sorry," Serenity said. "I hate that you had to sleep like that. Do you work today?"

"Nah, not til the weekend," Joey replied, yawning himself. "I can take a nap this afternoon. Eat something, sis."

"I think I might."

As Serenity picked up her spoon to dig into the oatmeal, she saw from the corner of her eye that Joey's expression had darkened. Before she even looked up to the doorway, she knew exactly what it meant: Seto and Mokuba had arrived.

She looked up anyway, giving them a cautious smile.

Seto nodded, which seemed to be his customary greeting. As was frequently the case, his expression was difficult to read.

"Hey Serenity! Hey Joey!" Mokuba exclaimed, filling the tense silence the way they always counted on him to do. "Sleep okay?"

"Not bad, kid," Joey replied. "Hey... About last night - "

"Don't even think about it," Mokuba interrupted. "Tensions were high. Stuff happens. We'll be looking back at it and laughing before we know it."

Seto's lip twitched - he didn't look like he anticipated laughing anytime soon.

"Do you guys want any food?" Serenity asked, indicating her tray. "It's not much, but - "

"I actually think I'm going to go to the hospital cafeteria and pick something up," Joey interrupted.

The long look he gave Seto made it very clear why he was leaving so suddenly.

"Okay," Serenity replied, deciding it was better not to protest. "You'll come back by before you leave though, right?"

"Of course."

Leaning down and kissing her on the forehead, Joey gave Seto one more distrustful glance before departing the room.

After he left, Mokuba wasted no time sitting down on the edge of the bed, and Seto hesitantly took the chair that had just been vacated.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked politely.

"I actually did, believe it or not. I was so tired, I think I could have slept just about anywhere."

"How are you feeling?" Mokuba cut in.

"A little stiff, but more from the mattress than anything, I think. I'm going to go to the bathroom really quick - sorry to get up the second you guys get here."

As Serenity lifted herself out of bed - remaining carefully positioned so that the awkward opening on the back of her hospital gown would face the wall rather than her visitors - she was stopped in her tracks by a sharp intake of breath from Mokuba.

"What?" she asked quickly, afraid he had somehow hurt himself.

"Serenity, I - "

Though his voice broke and trailed off, Serenity saw very well what had prompted his remark: in the spot where she had been lying, there was a bloodstain nearly six inches across. She gasped in horror.

"I don't - "

"Go to the bathroom," Seto ordered. "I'm going to get a doctor. Mokuba, stay here."

Though the lump in her throat was already growing to suffocating proportions, Serenity managed to nod and scurry to the bathroom door, where she locked herself in and took a rattling breath.

Standing in front of the mirror and lifting up the hospital gown, Serenity took in the monstrous red stain covering the tiny blue flowers on her panties and the white of her inner thighs. Her heart pounded as she used the bathroom and washed her hands. Once she had finished, she turned to look at herself in the mirror. The same horrible stain had spread to the back of her hospital gown.

Serenity could feel herself giving into the panic.

 _There was already so much more blood than the day before._

 _There was no way she was going to be able to carry the pregnancy to term._

 _The doctor the previous day had given them false hope, that's all there was to it._

Leaning up against the wall, she covered her face with her hands and felt the despair wash over her.

 _After everything that had happened… after the steady heartbeat and the the kind nurse and everything the doctor had said, it was going to end here anyway._

There was a knock on the door.

"Serenity? Are you okay?" Mokuba asked.

"Probably not," she replied honestly.

The doorknob rattled.

Sighing and wiping her eyes, Serenity unlocked it and stepped out. Mokuba immediately put his arm around her and walked her back to the bed. As he helped her take a seat at its foot, where he had been before, she intentionally looked away from the red stain.

"Are you in any pain?" he asked.

Wordlessly, Serenity shook her head. She felt like that response was very untrue, but the kind of pain he was talking about wasn't the kind she was feeling.

"I'm so, so sorry," Mokuba whispered.

Serenity still didn't have it in her to put words together, but she interpreted his sympathetic words as an invitation to rest her head on his shoulder and hide her face in the safety of his hoodie. Though she knew it was probably because of a stupid thing like the detergent their staff used or the soap they bought, he smelled like Seto, and it was more comforting than she wanted to admit.

"My brother will be back any minute with the doctor," Mokuba said softly. "I don't know if I've ever seen him run like that."

"I don't think it will do any good," Serenity finally said. "They said yesterday the bleeding should stop, and it only got worse."

About that time, they heard footsteps in the hallway. A new doctor appeared, this one a woman with short dark hair and an all-business demeanor. Seto followed, stone-faced.

"Serenity Wheeler," the doctor said, extending her hand. "Dr. Park. I hear you've had some continued heavy bleeding this morning?"

Though Serenity nodded and held out her hand for the doctor to shake, she didn't respond otherwise. Something within her seemed to have tuned out, rendering it impossible for her to do things like make conversation or ask appropriate questions.. Dr. Park seemed to sense this and tried a new approach, getting down on one knee and looking at Serenity eye-to-eye.

"First thing's first: I don't want you to panic," she said.

Out of the corner of her eye, Serenity could see Seto and Mokuba exchange a look of suspicion.

"Why not?" she finally asked.

"Because whenever people bleed, they panic, but it almost always looks worse than it is. I glanced through your file on the walk over here, and based on Dr. Lee's notes from yesterday, there wasn't anything abnormal in your ultrasound. I want to do another one and run a few tests to see if we can find out what's going on."

"Okay," Serenity sighed.

She allowed the doctor to help her move into a wheelchair and push her back toward the ultrasound room with its cold table, gooey wand, and all the hopelessness she thought she had left behind for good the day before.

* * *

It was a morning full of poking and prodding, sometimes benign and sometimes accompanied by needles. Serenity sat through it all, and Seto, though he spoke little, sat by her side. They heard the steady heartbeat again through the ultrasound machine, but it didn't give Serenity as much hope as it had the day before. If anything, it made her wonder if her poor baby was just going to suffocate slowly without any source of cushion or nourishment.

The thought devastated her.

As the orderlies buzzed around, a nurse drew blood, and the doctor examined old notes and jotted down new ones, Serenity distracted herself by trying to figure out what was going through Seto's mind. Attempting to figure out his thoughts seemed like it might be becoming her new hobby, because in spite of the amount of time they had been spending together, he didn't seem to offer them any more readily than he ever had before. She tried to read some sort of emotion between the lines of the creases near his eyes. As much as she wished she could see something that pointed to anxiousness or sympathy, it was as though he took great care to hide even the smallest hint of what he was actually feeling.

When she really thought about it, she realized that was probably exactly what he did.

Once it was all finally over and Dr. Park wheeled her back to her room, Serenity felt a tug on her heart at the sight of Joey and Mokuba sitting side by side waiting for her.

"Serenity!" Joey exclaimed, getting to his feet and meeting her at the doorway.

In sharp contrast to Seto, nearly every emotion Serenity could imagine - sorrow, anxiousness, exhaustion, and hopefulness - were displayed across his face like paint smeared thick on a canvas.

"What did you find out?" he asked.

"I'm about to fill them in," Dr. Park said. "Are you both relations?"

"I'm her brother," Joey said.

"And I'm his," Mokuba piped up.

Dr. Park turned back to Serenity.

"Are you alright with them hearing the report?" she asked. "It's technically confidential, but if you give verbal consent, I can share it with all of you."

Serenity looked at Seto, who nodded.

"Yes," she said softly. "You can tell all of us."

"Well, let me give you the good news first: your baby is still stable," Dr. Park said. "Vital signs are strong."

They all seemed to take a deep breath at once. Even Seto's carefully-maintained facade faltered for a moment to reveal relief.

"But clearly, as you saw this morning, you're still having some bleeding," the doctor continued. "And ultrasounds can be a little tricky - lots of arbitrary factors can determine what we can see and what we can't. Based on the image we got today, I'm seeing what appears to be a small tear - something we call a subchorionic hematoma."

Serenity's breath caught in her throat.

"How serious is that?" she asked softly.

"It various from case to case. Based on the size and the amount of bleeding we're seeing, yours is moderate. I don't mean to alarm anyone, but at the same time, I need to make sure everyone is clear on this: this has the potential to be a somewhat risky pregnancy."

"For her, or for the baby?"

They were all surprised to hear Seto speak up so suddenly.

"To a certain extent, both," Dr. Park replied. "Based on experience and based on the numbers, your chances of carrying to viability are fairly good. However, what this does mean is that moving forward with this pregnancy is going to require you to get more care and check in with us more often, and you're going to have to change some things in your lifestyle."

"What do I have to do?" Serenity asked.

"Primarily, it's important keep movement to a minimum so that the tissue can reattach to the uterine wall - or at the very least, not come any further unattached."

"Bedrest," Seto said simply.

Strangely - at least to Serenity, - something about the way his voice moved echoed with experience and exhaustion. It carried the heaviness of a familiar word he hoped he would never have to dust off and use again.

"I'm afraid so," Dr. Park replied.

Joey looked at Serenity, and she looked back at him.

"I can't work, even if I sit down?" Serenity asked, clearly grasping at straws.

"I would consider that a risk not worth taking," the doctor replied.

Serenity bit her lip.

"We have a lot of things to discuss," Seto interjected. "If you don't mind, we need a moment to ourselves."

Dr. Park glanced at her watch, then nodded.

"I should warn you that they'll probably want to discharge you late afternoon or early evening now that we have a diagnosis and a plan, but I'd like to sit down with all of you before you leave. I have a delivery at one this afternoon, but I can come back here afterward."

She turned to Serenity.

"You can move between the bed and the restroom as needed, but until I come back and we can have a more thorough discussion, _absolutely no_ getting up and moving around otherwise. Stay hydrated and eat well. A nurse will check in with you in an hour or so."

Serenity nodded mutely.

"Take care of yourselves," Dr. Park finished. She briefly shook hands with the three of them - Seto, Serenity, and Joey - before leaving the room.


	16. I'm no freeloader, Kaiba

They all sat in silence for a moment or two after the doctor left. Though she had delivered the news gently, it had still been a bombshell that rattled them all to the core: Serenity was going to spend the next seven months of her life - presumably with the exception of bathrooms breaks and quick showers - in bed. It seemed simple enough, but the more she thought about it, the more questions surfaced.

 _How could she tell her boss she wouldn't be going back to work?_

 _How could her brother take care of the apartment on his own?_

 _How would she pay her share of the rent without working?_

Joey finally sighed and broke the silence.

"So, do you want to get back in bed?" he asked, indicating the wheelchair in which she still sat.

"Might as well," Serenity replied. "Sounds like I'm going to be there awhile; better go ahead and get comfortable."

Though Mokuba smiled grimly, her attempt at humor seemed to otherwise fall flat.

Taking a deep breath, Serenity rested one of her hands on each of the armrests of the wheelchair. She pushed down on them and lifted herself slowly to her feet. Though her ability to move wasn't really compromised, she felt as though she had to monitor every step. The way the doctor talked, it sounded like each movement she made came with the risk of causing something inside her to detach and ruin everything.

Serenity felt a hand rest against her shoulder as she stepped over to the bed, and she turned around to thank Joey -

Only to see Seto standing behind her.

Caught off-guard, she only managed a shy expression of gratitude as she took a seat on the edge of the bed and eased back down against the pillows. She noticed for the first time that the sheets had been changed during her ordeal in the ultrasound room. It also looked like someone had put down a layer of padding in case the bleeding started back up. Practical though it was, there was also something defeatist about it. Somebody had decided in advance that her body was probably going to malfunction again and had planned accordingly.

"Comfortable?" Mokuba asked.

Serenity forced a smile.

"I guess."

From where he sat on the bed at Serenity's feet, Joey gave her a weak smile and traced a pattern on her leg through the sheet.

"Where are you going to go, Serenity?" Mokuba asked softly.

Joey looked up suddenly at those words, his expression indignant.

"What do you mean, 'where's she gonna go?'" he demanded. "Her home, of course. What, you think I can't take care of her?"

"Joey… think about it. You work fifty hours a week," Mokuba said. "That's a lot of time for her to be by herself. And besides, she won't be able to cook or clean or anything. You'll work yourself to death trying to pick up the slack and still have some time to sleep."

"So I'll have Mai stay with her and help out," Joey replied. "Or Yugi, or one of the others. We'll make it work."

Mokuba didn't respond, instead opting to look up at his brother. Though neither of them spoke immediately, it was clear they had the same idea.

"You should come stay with us," Seto addressed Serenity simply.

Joey looked up, scandalized.

"What do you mean, stay with you?" he demanded.

"Joey - " Mokuba began.

"Don't 'Joey' me!" the latter cut in. "I've gotten a lot of bad news in the last twenty-four hours, and I think I've behaved pretty well, but this might be the last straw. Serenity's coming back home, and that's final, because I'm not going to let you take my little sister away from me!"

"It's not like that," Mokuba insisted.

"And why are you on his side?" Joey demanded. "I know he's your brother, but you've got to see this for what it is. He's always been the cold loner, too cool for everybody, and now that he's finally gotten tired of not having anybody to come home to, he's decided to take Serenity."

He got to his feet and turned to Kaiba, scowling.

"Against my better judgment, I let you off the hook earlier. I gave you the benefit of the doubt because Yugi and Mokuba told me to. But this is the end of the line. You're not going to swoop in here and steal away the only family I've got just because you think you've got the right."

"Would you just shut up and listen for a half a second?" Mokuba demanded, putting his hands on Joey's shoulders. "All he wants is all any of us want: the best thing for Serenity."

Joey paused.

"And why would your huge, lonely house away from all her family be what's best for her?" he demanded.

"As it happens, I have a lot of resources available at my huge lonely house," Kaiba cut in. "There's a cook, a housekeeping staff, and with a five-minute phone call, I can hire a nurse to _live_ on the premises in case of emergency. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but that sounds like a better arrangement than locking her up all alone in your two-bedroom, seven-hundred-square-foot broom closet on the outskirts of the city."

Joey scowled, but he didn't have a retort. Instead, he sighed, sat back down on the bed, and gave Serenity a meaningful look.

"What do you want?" he asked her. "Where do _you_ want to stay?"

Serenity looked around at the three of them. There was an intense heaviness in her heart that came with knowing the answer to that question - but also knowing that that answer was going to devastate one of the people she cared about most.

"There's no easy answer," she said. "I assumed from the beginning that I would be going home with you, of course - nothing else ever even occurred to me. But the more we all talk about it, the more I'm starting to wonder if that's really what's best. If I move in with Seto and Mokuba, I'll be closer to the hospital, and like Seto said, there will be more people to take care of me. Also, you won't have to work so hard or worry so much."

"I promise we'll take good care of her," Mokuba chimed in. "She'll have a big room with lots of sunshine and three big, healthy meals every day. When it warms up, she'll be able to sit out on the patio and read. She'll have a button on her bedside table, and if a single thing goes wrong, there will be a doctor there in a second."

Joey looked at Mokuba and then back at Serenity. Slowly, he nodded.

"Well… if Kaiba's place is what's best for you, I guess you gotta go to Kaiba's, huh?"

Though he tried his best to keep his expression steady, his voice cracked, and Serenity could see his eyes watering a little.

"You have to come visit me whenever you can," she told him, grabbing hold of his hands. "We'll play games and eat snacks and watch movies, just like always."

The two sat like that for a moment, both trying to smile and at the same time fiercely resisting the tears that came much more readily. However, Serenity suddenly turned back to Mokuba and Seto, looking a little guilty.

"There's just one more thing: I pay half the rent on our apartment," she said. "If I'm living somewhere else…"

"I've mentioned several times, if you recall, that money is not a concern," Seto replied brusquely.

"What?" Joey demanded."You're going to give me a rent check?"

"I was actually going to have an associate wire the money to your landlord, but in essence, yes."

Joey scrutinized him carefully.

"I'm no freeloader, Kaiba. Just know that whatever you send, I'm gonna pay you back. Sooner or later."

"Please, Wheeler. Whatever the sum is, it probably won't be worth the administrative effort to process the repayment. But if that fantasy is what convinces you to make the best choice for your sister's health, then, by all means."


	17. Here's the chance for your grand tour

I've been so ahead of the game on this story that I've had time to research to an absurd degree. First of all, I would say that the vast majority of the obstetrics stuff you read will be reasonably accurate. Full-term bedrest is a little excessive for an SCH (subchorionic hematoma) in the majority of cases, but my guess is that the doctor knew she could expect the mother of all malpractice lawsuits from Kaiba's lawyers were anything to go wrong, so she decided to be extra careful. ;) Also, on a semi-related note, I have an actual house plan that I'm using as my version of the Kaiba mansion. The show didn't give me much to go by, but there's a website, houseplansdotkom (obviously that's not the actual spelling, but this site would flag it otherwise) and the one I'm referencing is Plan 20-2173 if you're curious enough to go find it. I love having time to be this extra. xP

* * *

"You're _moving_ into the Kaiba mansion?" Mai demanded.

Even over the phone, Serenity could imagine the way her brother's girlfriend's mouth hung open in awe.

"It looks that way," she said. "And starting now, the doctor doesn't want me moving around any more than I have to because they're afraid I'll tear something, so I'm going to go straight there with Seto and Mokuba after I'm discharged this afternoon. Joey was wondering if you could meet him back at the apartment to help load up a few things."

"Uh-huh," Mai replied. "So if he was the one wondering, then why is it, exactly, that it's you calling?"

"Well, it's - "

"He's pissed, isn't he?"

"Kinda, yeah," Serenity admitted. "He doesn't like that you knew about the baby so long before he did. But you know, it's like - "

"Oh, I'm not worried about _that_ ," Mai interrupted. "He and I will settle that this afternoon. You know he can't stay mad at me. I meant, is he mad about you moving in with Kaiba? I bet he's taking it pretty hard."

"He was far from thrilled," Serenity agreed. "But Mokuba helped convince him. And he knows it's probably the best thing for me. If I'm living with the Kaibas, I'll have someone else to do the cooking and cleaning. There will even be a nurse on staff in case there's another emergency. Joey knows I wouldn't have all that at our apartment, and once he put that together, he agreed without much drama."

"Sounds to me like he's putting on a brave face. But you can tell him I'll meet him over at your place around two," Mai said. "I'll bring a few boxes with me; I've still got lots from my last move. Is there anything else you need?"

"No, I think it's all covered. Joey's gone downstairs to grab some food and Seto and Mokuba went back to their house for an hour or two to direct the staff furnishing the room where I'll be staying."

Mai laughed out loud.

"Well, I hope _the staff_ get the room put together to your liking. Do you get to be near the jacuzzi or the bowling alley or the private movie theater?"

"I doubt Seto has a movie theater or bowling alley," Serenity replied, rolling her eyes. "And the jacuzzi would be nice, but I'm literally only supposed to get out of bed long enough to go to the bathroom or get a quick shower. And I'm not even supposed to do the second one that often."

"Yikes," Mai said. "Are you really that bad off?"

"The doctor used the phrase 'out of an abundance of caution,' so I'm trying to be optimistic and convince myself that they're fairly sure everything is going to be okay. But I'm pretty much going to be sitting in bed for over six months either way."

"So that means no sex too, I'm guessing," Mai observed.

Serenity was momentarily struck dumb. She had read through all the paperwork, which had included a section about "pelvic rest" (and all the awkward Dos and Don'ts that phrase entailed) but she had only given that particular paragraph a passing glance at best. Through all the drama of the previous two days, sex had been the last thing on her mind. It also wasn't like it had been a huge part of her life before.

In fact, if Serenity was being honest with herself, Mai's mention of it was the first time that she really made the connection and realized what everyone else was probably going to assume from the phrase "moving in with Kaiba."

"Oh, come on," Mai said, interpreting the silence as Serenity being scandalized. "You're moving into a big mansion with a sexy, lonely millionaire who's already proven that he's into you. You'll be spending hundreds of hours alone together, lying around on a feather mattress and just killing time. It's like the plot of a cheap romance novel."

"Well, the packet the doctor gave me made it clear that sex is off the table," Serenity replied. "And anyway, if past experience is anything to go by, sex between him and me is contingent on me drinking first. That's also not allowed anymore, as you may have guessed."

Mai laughed out loud.

"Well, that's a shame. But don't worry, I'm sure you two will find a loophole. For the sex, I mean. Don't drink."

Serenity groaned.

"I've got too many actual problems to consider to worry about sex," she said. "Do you think you two can be at the Kaiba mansion around four with the stuff?"

"That should be fine," Mai replied. "I think we can get everything in one load. Your brother's got his truck, and it's not like we have to bring furniture, right?"

"Right. I think I mostly just need clothes and my toothbrush and stuff. But do you think you could bring the books off that one shelf in my bedroom and the pictures off my dresser?"

"I've got you covered," Mai replied. "Your brother and I will see you at Kaiba's house tonight. I'll make sure he brings all the essentials and behaves himself."

"Thank you. I mean it. See you soon."

"See you, sweetie - hang in there."

As Serenity hung up the phone, she thought about how funny it was that Mai acted in such a maternal way with her. Though her brother's girlfriend was one of the the last people she could ever imagine having and raising a child, hearing her saying mom-like words like "sweetie" and telling her to hang in there seemed so easy and natural. Ever since that terrible day outside the KaibaCorp building, she had been so relieved to have someone like that in her corner.

How recently that had been, but how much had happened since.

Her phone rang again, causing her to jump.

 _Karin - Work_.

Serenity paused for a moment, wondering why on earth her former boss from the coffee shop would be calling her. About that time, she remembered that was Seto's code name in her phone. She almost laughed - the fact that the two of them were communicating was certainly not a secret anymore. It occurred to her that she should probably change the contact in case there was some kind of emergency and someone needed to use her phone to reach him.

"Hello?" she said, picking up.

"It's Kaiba," Seto said brusquely, as he seemed to be in the habit of doing in spite of how unmistakable his voice was. "We've had your room cleared out and prepared. Have you arranged for someone to drop off your things?"

"Yeah, my brother and Mai will be bringing them by around three," Serenity said. "The nurse said I can discharge anytime. Are you guys coming back here soon?"

"I am," Seto replied. "Mokuba wants to stay here at the house and put some finishing touches on the room."

"That's sweet of him."

"I can plan on arriving in about forty-five minutes. Should I meet you back at the entrance where we met before?"

"That would be good," Serenity replied. "I'll make sure I'm there."

"Good."

Seto said the word like the conversation was over, but Serenity wasn't sure if she should hang up yet.

"Okay," said. "I'll see you then."

"Goodbye."

Okay. So it _was_ over.

Serenity put down the phone and took a deep breath.

Would she actually be able to live with that man for seven months?

Deep down, there was something about him that was likeable; she couldn't deny that. She wouldn't have chatted with him when he came into the coffee shop, given him her personal cell phone number, or gotten in the habit of texting him if he hadn't been handsome and intriguing. And he had, in his own unique way, seriously come through for her when he insisted that the doctor keep her overnight.

She just had to find a way to convince him that it was okay to be that version of himself around her all the time.

* * *

As they pulled through the gates of the mansion, Serenity's eyes widened.

"It's hard to believe I'm actually going to be living here," she admitted. "I think the biggest place I ever lived was three bedrooms."

"We have about nine thousand square feet: seven bedrooms and six and a half baths," Seto said. "Mokuba and I live in the only two currently occupied bedrooms - both on the second floor. The others have been turned into a second game room, my home office, and extra storage space. The downstairs master suite is where you'll be staying."

Serenity shook her head and smiled wordlessly. From anyone else, the description of the lavish mansion might have sounded like boasting, but the way Kaiba said it was so matter-of-fact that he almost sounded bored.

"We're going to pull around to the garage out back," he continued. "Mokuba should meet us inside. Your room was almost finished when I left, but he's assured me that it would be fully cleaned and furnished by the time we arrived."

"I appreciate both of you guys doing all this for me," Serenity said. "Turning your lives and your house upside down so I have the perfect place to stay."

"It's fine."

About that time, they pulled into what appeared to Serenity to be a four-car garage. As Seto parked the car, a comparably modest four-door black Mercedes, Serenity noticed that two of the other three spaces were occupied: one by Mokuba's Porsche and the other by red convertible she knew to be Seto's favorite. Once they had come to a stop, the door to the house opened, and Mokuba rushed out carrying a folded-up wheelchair.

"Your chariot awaits, madame," he said, opening Serenity's door and offering her his hand.

Seto rolled his eyes, but Serenity giggled and allowed Mokuba to help her out of the car and into the chair.

"I was just thanking your brother for how much you two are doing for me," she said as Mokuba wheeled her up to the house, lifting her over the occasional step-up as though the combined weight of Serenity and the wheelchair were nothing. "I mean, taking me in like this - "

"It's _nothing_ ," Mokuba insisted. "You're the one whose whole life is changing. All we had to do was get some stored stuff moved into the attic bedroom. Hey, you've barely seen any of this place - here's the chance for your grand tour!"

Seto followed silently as Mokuba pushed Serenity through the lower story of the house, pointing out first the loggia (which, as he explained, was really just a fancy word for a covered patio), the rear porch, and the beautifully-furnished formal living room. Finally, they arrived at the downstairs master bedroom.

"Welcome home," Mokuba said.

Serenity's mouth dropped open, and she felt her heart skip a beat.

The sun streamed in through two floor-length windows, both of which looked out onto the backyard pool area and rose garden. A king sized four-poster bed, placed against the opposite wall, was adorned by a beautifully embroidered blue and sea green comforter and enough pillows that she thought she would absolutely sink in. The floor was covered by a neutral-colored rug in some kind of geometric print, and the walls were light gray and unadorned save for a plasma screen TV and full-length mirror.

"It's _beautiful_ ," she said, half-whispering almost reverently.

"You really like it?" Mokuba asked hopefully. "We sent someone out to buy the curtains and the bedspread - the ones in here before were really old-looking - and we moved the plasma screen and rug in from the second game room. Everything else is just stuff we had in storage."

"It's perfect," Serenity insisted.

"The master bath, closet, and make-up table are through the doors straight ahead," Seto said. "We'll leave you to freshen up and get some rest."

Mokuba looked like he probably would have preferred to stay and chat longer, but he gave in and settled for a quick hug before following his brother out of the room and closing the door behind them.

* * *

When Serenity awoke, she was disoriented to say the least. It took her a moment to remember where she was - but when she did, she couldn't help but look around admiringly at her surroundings all over again. The light coming in through the windows had softened a little bit as evening approached, but if anything, the space had just become more inviting. For the first time, she noticed the way the water from the pool outside bent the beams of light and made the shadows on her wall dance.

 _Could this place_ be _any more idyllic? How on earth could Seto always be in such a sour mood, when he got to come back to a place like this every night?_

However, before Serenity could come to any conclusions, she was startled out of her thoughts by the sound of knocking at the door - which she could only assume had been what woke her up in the first place.

"Come in," she called.

The door swung open immediately to reveal Mai, carrying a stack of boxes. As she looked around, her eyes widened in awe.

"Serenity, honey, just look at this place! You scored big!" she exclaimed. "If I had known I could get this treatment, I would have gotten knocked up by Kaiba a _long_ time ago!"

"That's not funny," Joey muttered, following behind her. He brought a second pile of boxes and bags, and Serenity made note of the way he intentionally kept his eyes straight ahead, as though he didn't want to see any more of the interior of the mansion than he had to.

She merely smiled and shook her head.

"Thanks for bringing my stuff, guys. I hope it's not too much trouble."

"Trouble?" Mai demanded. "I've been wanting to see the inside of this place forever! You're making my dreams come true. When we first got here, I pretended to get lost so I could see the whole house. Did you know that the upstairs game room has a built-in bar _and_ massage chairs?"

"Alright already," Joey interrupted, dropping his stack of boxes on the floor. "Let's get another load."

"You go ahead, hon. I'll be out in just a second."

Joey shrugged and departed, leaving Mai and Serenity alone. Once he was gone, Mai turned to her and grinned conspiratorially.

"Did you notice the bed?" she asked.

Serenity rolled her eyes, feeling like she already knew where the conversation was headed.

"I've been sleeping in it for an hour, so I've definitely noticed it. But is there something specific you want to point out?"

"It's king-sized. You might not be thinking about sex, but it looks like _he's_ planning ahead."

"Ugh, you _never_ _quit!_ "

"I'm just _saying_ ," Mai replied. "Whether or not you can actually do anything until after you've had the baby, it's going to be on his mind. It's not like he's going to stop being into you just because you're pregnant. I mean, you haven't stopped being into him, have you?"

Serenity paused. _Was_ she into Kaiba? What did being "into someone" even really mean? She thought back to the way her heart had beat faster when she saw him coming down the stairs for dinner or the way she leaned into Mokuba's hoodie because it almost smelled like he did. She also remembered the way her heart had swelled when he stood up to the rude nurse and told the apathetic doctor that Serenity was going to stay the night at the hospital whether he liked it or not.

Though Serenity may not have responded in the affirmative, her hesitation alone was enough to earn her a knowing grin from Mai, who laughed and gave her a wink as she left the room to go get another load of boxes.


	18. It's an açaí bowl

This is one of my most favorite chapters. It doesn't drive the plot too much, and Seto's not even in it (I know, what?!) But there's so much Mokuba. I love his character, and I think he plays such an important role in this story. Hope y'all enjoy. :)

* * *

To Serenity's surprise, it wasn't a maid who brought her breakfast tray the next morning; it was Mokuba.

"Hey," he said, making his way carefully over to the bed, lifting the tray slightly so he could see where he was walking. "Still liking the new place?"

"I really do - I love everything about this house."

"Really? You might be the first one to say that."

Mokuba took a seat on the edge of the bed and passed Serenity the breakfast tray.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "Is there something wrong with it?"

He laughed a little.

"Nothing really, I guess. It's just so big and mostly empty. When I was a kid, I was sure it was haunted. Seto didn't believe that for a second, as I'm sure you can imagine, but I still don't think he ever really learned to like this house. For him, it's too full of bad memories. I think in a way, his ghosts are more real than mine ever were."

Serenity nodded silently. She had asked herself the previous night how Kaiba could possibly be unhappy when he lived somewhere so beautiful, but she may have just gotten her answer without even having to ask. It wouldn't matter how luxurious and well-decorated a house was if the memories that lived there were ugly. The thought was sobering.

"Go on, eat," Mokuba urged her.

For the first time, Serenity observed what was on the tray. For the most part, it was familiar and very much resembled her typical breakfast fare at home: a clementine, some herbal tea, and a hard boiled egg.

However, the china bowl didn't contain her usual oatmeal. Instead, it held something that looked a little bit like fruit salad, but somehow… mushier.

"What's that?" she demanded, scrutinizing it carefully.

"It's an açaí bowl," Mokuba informed her. "Sort of like a smoothie, but thicker and you eat it like soup. It's really good for you - brain food."

Serenity gave him a suspicious look.

"Did you make it?"

"I did. Believe it or not, I'm actually a pretty good cook. With some stuff, anyway."

Serenity poked at the contents of the bowl with her spoon. She had to admit, it actually looked pretty appetizing. Under the pile of fruit and seed-looking-things - hemp? chia? - she could see the smoothie concoction he mentioned. It was kind of dense and purplish like blueberry yogurt, but it she could also see little bits of something green.

Taking a bite, she found herself pleasantly surprised.

"See?" Mokuba insisted, having observed her expression of approval. "Solid nutrition. I wouldn't poison you or my niece."

"You're sweet," Serenity replied as she ate. "When Mai and my brother were over here yesterday, I was thinking about how much I love the thought of this baby having you and Joey for uncles. You'll both be amazing."

"I hope so. And regardless, something tells me your baby will have a lot of aunts and uncles, biological and otherwise. Definitely no shortage of people wanting to teach her Duel Monsters. Of course, I want her to be good at it, but only because she needs to be good at science and math and strategy stuff."

Serenity paused, giving him a look of confusion.

"Science and math? Why does it matter?"

"You mean you really haven't thought about it?" Mokuba asked.

"Thought about what?"

"Serenity... once your baby's born, she'll be the next in line to take over KaibaCorp."

Putting down her spoon for a moment, Serenity gave Mokuba a look of shock.

"I guess she will be, won't she?" she asked, shaking her head a little.

"Yup. One hundred percent chance."

"Mokuba, I didn't even think about that," Serenity said. "I'm totally coming in here with a kid who's going to usurp your claim to your family's company. I feel so bad - and it never even occurred to me."

Surprising her, Mokuba burst out laughing.

"No, you've got it all wrong!" he exclaimed, putting his hand on her arm. "Does anything about me come across as 'corporate?' I want _nothing to do_ with that crummy company. I've spent the last fifteen years watching it destroy my brother's soul. Of course, we argue whenever I tell him that. He basically guilts me by saying that that means that if anything ever happens to him, his life's work is going to come to ruin. And he's not wrong. But here's the thing: if this baby turns out to be smart kid with some management potential, I'm off the hook."

Serenity smiled, shaking her head.

"This is all so strange. I guess I didn't even think about it, because I always knew that all Joey and I could ever expect to inherit from our dad would be some gambling debt. But I'm right there with you - I hope she's brilliant and motivated and everything she needs to be. We need to give her a good start; you should make me more açaí bowls.".

"Is it that good?"

"Yes," Serenity replied emphatically, scraping the last of the fruit mixture out of the bottom of the bowl. "Does Seto eat these?"

Mokuba laughed out loud.

"Not a _chance_. He's very much a protein bar and black coffee kind of guy. I actually discovered açaí bowls during my very brief paleo phase - which he also didn't approve of. He said it wouldn't last. And he was right, as usual, but I took some good recipes away from it at least."

Serenity laughed a little. There was also comfort in knowing that even with the person he loved the most, Seto had a tendency to be sort of skeptical and fatalistic. It made his harshness where she was concerned feel a little less personal.

The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes as she ate, but it was a very comfortable silence. Mokuba had found space on the tray for a cup of coffee for himself, and he sipped it as the sunshine slowly moved from the floor up onto the bed.

"Are you going back to live with Joey, after you have the baby?" he asked suddenly.

Serenity paused, caught off-guard.

"I don't know," she admitted. "Joey wants me to, of course. But I don't know what I should do. I know I could probably have rooms both places and go back and forth, but I want more stability than that, especially for the baby."

Mokuba looked thoughtful.

"I hope you stay," he said finally. "Of course, I know you have to do what's best for you and the baby, but I think things are going to be better in this house now that you're here."

"Do you really think so?" Serenity asked. "It's not like I can help around the house or cook or anything; all I can really do is lie here."

"That's not what I mean," Mokuba replied. "Trust me, we have _plenty_ of housekeepers. What you're bringing is something totally different. Just by being here, you're a source of life and emotion and hope. You know how they always tell depressed people that they need to get a plant or a dog or something that needs them? I think you'll be that to my brother."

Serenity laughed out loud.

"I'm so glad for the opportunity to be your brother's houseplant."

"Listen to you; you sound like _your_ brother," Mokuba replied, starting to laugh too. "But I think you know what I mean. Having you here is going to guilt Seto into thinking about something other than himself and his work, and eventually, without even realizing it, I think he might start to like it. We have a pretty good relationship, Seto and I, but he's still really distant. Nights are especially hard. He comes home from work, says one or two words, and locks himself in his bedroom. I know he probably brings a lot of his work home with him, but between the hours of six or seven PM and the next morning, it's always dead silent around here. It almost seems like he's hiding from something."

Serenity listened with rapt attention, long since having finished her food.

"I guess that's probably why I spend so much time around the game shop with Yugi and Joey," Mokuba continued. "I just wanted to be somewhere with noise and activity. But I won't have to anymore, because by coming to stay here… you're bringing all of that with you. And Seto will get to share some of it too."

Serenity smiled a little sadly.

"If he ever comes in here, that is. What if he still follows his same routine, and the only thing that changes is now you and I are _both_ alone in this big empty house?"

"I think Seto may surprise you," Mokuba replied. "He has a sense of obligation to you now, and there's nothing my brother hates more than broken promises. He might not come into your room when your friends are here, but he's not going to ignore or abandon you. He'll visit at least once a day, even if it's just out of obligation in the beginning. Just be your sweet, funny self when he does, and who knows? My brother could end up being the kind of person who would make you want to stay for reasons other than just stability."

"I really do want that," Serenity admitted, surprising herself a little with her honesty. "I've seen a side of your brother that made me like him - a lot - and he really came through for me at the hospital. We're in this together now, whether we like it or not, and I want us to have a better relationship. But I feel like that would be so much easier if I had any idea who he was. I shop with Mai because I know she loves to shop, and I play Duel Monsters with my brother because I know he loves to play Duel Monsters. With Seto, I'm totally at a loss. I don't even know what his favorite _color_ is."

Mokuba looked thoughtful for a moment. Finishing his last sip of coffee, he came up with a reply.

"Well, first of all, it's light blue," he said, smiling. "Not that that's probably much of a surprise. But I told you before that if you kept trying, he would open up more and some of the walls would come down. You're already closer than I've ever seen anybody else get. I know that if you keep at it, you're going to have a breakthrough soon."

"You really think so?" Serenity asked looking a little bit hopeful.

"I know so," Mokuba replied. "I bet that pretty soon, you'll be telling me things _I_ don't know about him."

"Let's not get our hopes up too high. But... I still want a head start. I don't get you all to myself that often, Mokuba, so let's make the best of it. Tell me everything about him. Pretend you're setting the two of us up on a blind date. What would you want me to know?"

"Well…" her companion began, clearly not quite sure where to start. "What do you want to know?"

"Anything!"

"Okay… hmm…. Well, Seto's favorite food is prime rib: rare, but not too rare. He hates any kind of soup with noodles. He likes pasta, he just doesn't think it belongs in soup. Even though he typically doesn't eat sweets, he really, really loves dark chocolate. He likes it so much that doesn't buy it for himself because he knows he'll eat all of it in one sitting. When I get it for him, he breaks it up into tiny pieces and puts it in his desk to eat while he works."

Serenity laughed out loud.

"I can't even imagine that… but it's great! Tell me more! What about hobbies?"

"He's not exactly a 'hobbies' kind of guy," Mokuba admitted. "Duel Monsters, obviously, but for him that's kind of more of a religion than a hobby. He does love to play chess, too. If we're being honest, before he discovered Duel Monsters, chess was his life. Let me think… Seto likes philosophy a lot - Nietzsche and Schopenhauer especially. He also likes music, but mostly instrumental stuff. He prefers symphonies, but he's also kind of into jazz."

Serenity nodded, still taking in every word.

"Now…" she said, pushing away the breakfast tray and leaning in a little closer. "Tell me something he _wouldn't_ want me to know."

Mokuba paused, but finally nodded slowly. It was as though the mood in the room had shifted from jovial and fun back to something a little more solemn.

"My brother is absolutely _terrified_ of crowded places," he said. "He doesn't act scared, but I can tell, because he tenses up and quits talking. He does absolutely everything he can to avoid big groups of people. Everyone assumes he loves helicopters and fast cars because he likes to show off being rich, but it's actually because even the thought of getting caught in traffic makes him totally panic."

Serenity didn't respond immediately, clearly thinking through what she had just heard. It seemed hard to imagine something as mundane as the crowd in an airport or a traffic jam scaring someone as arrogant and self-assured as Kaiba… but at the same time, everyone was afraid of something. And something about that fear seemed to fit him in a way.

"If wonder if he's just afraid of not having an escape," she said finally. "Maybe he doesn't like to imagine a time when he's not in control and he can't be the one who decides what happens to him. That could be scary for anybody."

Mokuba smiled, and the effect was like that of the sun breaking through clouds after a storm.

"You know… I think you already know him better than you realize."


	19. You can see the tiny fingers

Thanks for all the new readers still finding this and reviewing - I love to hear your opinions and thoughts. :) I'm home sick from work (boo) and it's funny to think that I went from using sick days in middle school to write silentshipping to using sick days home from work as an adult to… write silentshipping. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Also, I know you guys are anxious for Seto to open up and be warmer to Serenity; I am tooooo! Dx But if I rush it, it won't be authentic. We're all stuck on his timetable - sorry! Just try to be patient. ;)

* * *

Serenity felt a strange mixture of déjà vu and nervous excitement as she lay waiting on the table in the ultrasound room.

The first of the two feelings wasn't entirely pleasant; it came from the memories of her first hospital visit nearly two months previously when she found out about the hematoma. Though the circumstances of that ultrasound were completely different, the presence of the big machine beside her and the coldness of the table on which she lay brought back the unpleasant memories all the same.

She tried to focus her energy on reminding herself over and over that this time around, the exam was happening for a good reason: she was finally going to get to find out if she was having a girl or boy. Though there was nothing she could do about it one way or the other and she truly would have been satisfied either way, it still seemed like a very momentous occasion.

It had occurred to Serenity, of course, that they might find some kind of evidence that the hematoma had worsened. However, she tried to put that thought out of her mind whenever it surfaced. She had followed the doctor's advice exactly, and the bleeding had slowed to a stop soon after she had gotten home from the hospital. It seemed for all intents and purposes as though everything was fine, but even if it wasn't, worrying was the last thing that could possibly make it any better.

"Seto, do you want a boy or a girl?" Serenity asked, looking over at the chair where the baby's father waited, his emotions as indecipherable as ever.

"Which do you want?"

 _Of course he wouldn't give her a straight answer._

She had seen more of Seto since she moved into his house, of course, but that didn't necessarily mean it was "quality time." Mokuba had been right to assume that he would make a point of visiting her at least once per day, but it usually felt like he just did exactly what he would have would have been doing anyway, only sitting at the foot of her bed instead of the desk in his home office. If they talked, it tended to be about stupid things like the weather or what was being served for dinner.

Most of Serenity's fun times at the mansion came from either Mokuba, Joey, or her friends dropping by. They would stay for long stretches of time - sometimes hours - and almost always brought her little gifts and puzzles. Her room was becoming a menagerie of dreamcatchers and scented candles and craft projects.

Suffice to say, Serenity was far from lonely, but she still found herself hoping to get something more out of Seto. She hadn't given up hope of cracking his exterior yet.

After all, she had nothing if not time.

"I don't necessarily _want_ a girl or boy more, but I've had the feeling since the beginning that this is a girl," she continued, as though oblivious to Seto's silence. "I won't be upset if it's a boy, but I just have all these images in my mind of a little girl."

Seto, for his part, simply nodded and looked out the window again, watching the rain pour down the glass panes. Serenity had been annoyed that morning to find out that her first time out of the house in nearly a month and a half would fall on a gloomy, rainy day. However, she had tried to cheer herself up by thinking about how all the extra rain would make the rose garden outside her room twice as brilliant when the time came for it to bloom.

"So, are we ready to find out the big question?"

Serenity almost jumped at the sound of someone other than herself talking. When she looked up, she met the friendly gaze of a short, young-looking nurse waiting in the doorway, and she couldn't help but smile.

"I think so."

"Okay then, let's get you prepped! You finished the water they brought you, right?"

Serenity glanced over at the empty water bottle on the table beside her and nodded, uncomfortably reminded of the feeling of the liquid sloshing around in her belly and her growing need to pee. The nurse seemed to recognize the expression, and gave her a sympathetic smile.

"I know, sweetie, but it's all so we can get a better look at the baby. I'll try to be quick. Now, I see from your chart that you've had an ultrasound before, right?"

"Yes," Serenity replied. "A couple of them back-to-back. That's when they found the hematoma. It was too early on to tell anything about the baby, though."

"That makes sense. Well, we'll take a look at everything today, and with any luck, we'll be able to both update you on your condition _and_ tell you what color to start painting the nursery. Now, I'm not sure what type of ultrasound you had before, but the one I'm going to use today is external. It's the less invasive of the two - all you'll need to do is pull your shirt up to just below your bra, okay?"

Serenity nodded and rolled up the hem of the purple shirt she wore to reveal a what she guessed must have been a fairly normal four-month baby bump - that is to say, to any onlooker who didn't know any better, it probably would have just looked like she had one plate too many at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Frankly, she had seen her brother look more pregnant after two or three pizzas.

"Now, I have some goo here, and it's probably going to be a little cold, so sorry about that - " the nurse paused and pulled out a plastic tube "- and I'm just going to apply some here on your lower belly, where we're likely to get the best image."

Serenity tried to sit still, but she couldn't help but tense a little when the cold gel first touched her skin. She caught Seto's eye over the nurse's shoulder and smiled nervously. Though he didn't exactly smile in return, he did lean forward a little and give her a small nod.

"Next, I'm going to take this thing here - we call it a transducer - and once I put it down in the gel, you should start seeing some images swimming around on the screen up here," the nurse explained. "Once I get to a good image, I'll stop and tell you about what we're looking at."

Serenity felt her breath catch in her chest as the cold metal touched down on her belly and - sure enough - silvery swirls started to dance in the black space on the screen. The ultrasound nurse scooted the transducer back and forth with one hand and deftly manipulated buttons and switches with the other, until suddenly, the image on the screen became clear: it was the same black circle Serenity had seen nearly two months before, but this time, in the middle of that space, there was the white shape of what was unmistakably a tiny, translucent, perfect _baby_.

Her eyes widened, and the nurse smiled knowingly.

"Congratulations Mommy," she said. " _That's_ a good image."

Serenity watched in silent fascination as the white lines shifted around a little, appearing almost to float in the space.

"Are you ready for the big news?" the nurse asked.

"You mean… you can tell from that?"

Serenity looked up at the nurse in uncertainty.

"Sure can! Are you sure you want to find out?"

" _Yes!"_

"Alright - drum roll - it's… a baby _girl_!"

Serenity gasped and turned to give Seto a look of delight - only to jump at the realization that he was already standing beside the table where she lay, gazing at the screen in wonderment.

"Is she healthy?" Seto asked, sounding as though he was holding his breath.

"Her heartbeat's strong," the nurse replied, moving her cursor to hover over the image of the baby's chest, where one area seemed to flutter. "You can see it there. Her proportions look good; four long, healthy limbs, a strong forehead, a sweet little nose… from what I can tell, everything is in good working order."

Serenity looked up at the screen and then back at Seto, searching his expression for any cracks where emotion might come through. The closest he came to betraying surprise or awe was in the wideness of his eyes and the slight parting of his lips - and his gaze didn't leave the screen.

Not even for a moment.

"What about the hematoma?" Serenity asked, finally managing to draw her eyes away from the baby and back up to the nurse.

"I can see the spot they were concerned about," the nurse replied, transferring the cursor to a place where a strand of white stretched between the black area where the baby was and the solid wall of whiteness surrounding the picture. "It's not as big as I had been led to expect, though, based on the doctor's notes from before. I think it might have gotten smaller."

"That's great!" Serenity exclaimed. "What does that mean for my diagnosis, then?"

"It's definitely good news," the nurse said, "but I don't want to promise anything until the doctor can take a look at the images and at you during your next appointment. Until further notice, you should keep following the orders they gave you last time. Whatever you're doing, it's working."

Serenity nodded.

"Let's take a few pictures, and then we can get you cleaned off so you can head home to call your friends and family," the nurse suggested.

* * *

Serenity sat in the passenger side of Seto's car, still gazing wide-eyed at the collection of tiny black and white images the nurse had printed off for her.

"I think her nose looks like Mokuba's," she observed, holding up the second of the three pictures. "Should I take a picture of it to send to him, or should we wait to show it in person?"

"I actually already texted him a picture when we were at the office," Seto admitted, not looking away from the road.

Serenity grinned.

"What did he say?"

"He told me she looked like a tadpole."

Unable to contain herself, Serenity burst out laughing.

"Well, a very cute tadpole, I guess."

"Unfortunately, he didn't specify."

"Who else should we tell first?" Serenity asked, lining up the picture in front of her cell phone camera. "I'll text it to the girls from work, but when should we show it to my brother?"

"I think we should just go home first. You can get some rest and then we'll talk about it."

Seto's response was quick, and in Serenity's opinion, sort of cold. She remained silent and a little put-out as they pulled into the driveway. For a little while, things had seemed so promising. She had allowed herself to get her hopes up because of the way Seto had jumped out of his chair to see the screen closer and sent the ultrasound image to Mokuba before she even thought of it, but maybe it was all just a fluke in the end. Maybe once the excitement had passed, he was still going to act like the same old distant Seto.

Serenity was about to sigh, but she stopped suddenly in surprise as she spotted what looked like several familiar cars parked in the driveway just outside the garage.

"Is that Mai's car?" she asked suddenly. "And Yugi's?"

Seto didn't respond, but she knew that she wasn't mistaken. As they pulled past the cars and into the vacant spot in the garage, Mokuba appeared in the doorway that opened to the back patio, smiling widely.

"What's going on?" Serenity demanded. He only shook his head and ran up to her and grabbed her hand.

"Come in, you'll see!"

Serenity followed behind him through the garage, intentionally keeping a steady pace, but she could tell it was hard for him not to break into a run. Seto followed a few steps behind. As they stepped through the door Mokuba had left ajar - the one leading back outside onto the covered loggia patio - she gasped and took a step back:

Mai, Yugi, Téa, Duke, Tristan, and Joey stood around a beautiful cake, surrounded by pink balloons and hanging lanterns.

"Surprise!" they shouted in unison.

Serenity covered her mouth with both hands, overwhelmed by both their thoughtfulness and another secret realization:

 _Seto wasn't just being apathetic. He had told her to wait until they got back to send the pictures to Joey because he knew there would be an entire party waiting for her._

"How did you know?!" she demanded. "Who told you it was a girl?"

"We were prepared for either outcome, actually," Yugi admitted, indicating a box near their feet that was full of blue streamers and what appeared to be popped blue balloons. "We didn't know how much time we would have after Mokuba got Kaiba's text, so we put up everything when we first got here and then scrambled to tear down the blue stuff after we found out."

Serenity laughed out loud. She gazed around, still fully overwhelmed by the obvious planning and care that had gone into the surprise party. The tables were covered with sparkly pink star-shaped confetti with the occasional baby blue piece every so often - seemingly missed in their frantic purge of blue following the text message. For the first time, she noticed another table against the wall behind them, this one set with all kinds of beautiful hors d'oeuvres and petit-fours.

And at the end, there was a pile of brightly-wrapped boxes and tall bags stuffed with tissue paper.

Serenity felt her breath catch.

"Guys, are those presents?" she asked. "You _shouldn't_ have - you already spoil me way too much."

"Well those aren't for you, exactly," Mai replied. "They're for baby what's-her-name. Setine? Setina?"

" _Don't_ name her that," Joey cut in with a groan. "Just take a seat. Are you hungry?"

"I could eat," Serenity admitted.

Téa and Mai worked together - really more fell over each other, but at least it was a joint effort - to get Serenity into a reclining lawn chair with a plate of food in front of her. Once she was settled, they gathered around her started passing around the ultrasound pictures.

"She's already so big and baby-like!" Téa marveled. "You can see the tiny fingers!"

"The nurse told us that she can flex them, too," Serenity replied. "And you're right - she's growing fast. Apparently she's the size of a sweet potato. Seto, what was the weight the nurse gave us again?"

However, there wasn't a response. Serenity looked up in confusion, and Joey laughed humorlessly.

"You'll have to ask him later," he said. "He disappeared up the stairs the minute you two got back, believe it or not."

"Joey, don't be an asshole about it," Mai sighed tiredly. "He let us take over his house for the day, didn't he?"

"So what? We can still add his own kid's baby shower to the list of things he's too cool to go to."

" _So_ my brother's not a party person," Mokuba cut in, bringing a plate over and taking a seat near Joey, across from Serenity. "It's not personal unless you make it personal. But I know you're just pissed to be missing out on quality time with Seto, aren't you Joey?"

The latter made a face.

"Keep dreaming, kid. Your brother couldn't pay me enough to want to hang out with him. Well, okay, I guess he _has_ the money, but - "

Joey's voice trailed off, fading into everyone else's laughter. Serenity gave Mokuba a grateful look across the table, and he merely winked back.

* * *

Serenity took a deep breath as she walked back into her bedroom and shut the door behind her. She was used to being tired most of the time, but what she was feeling at that particular moment was definitely pure and unadulterated exhaustion. However, as tiring her the day had been, it had also been wonderful. She still carried with her the thrill of seeing her daughter's tiny heart beating on the ultrasound and the laugher of her friends from in their circle of chairs on the patio.

The only tiny detail to make her day less than perfect was the way Seto had skipped out on the party. She had decided at the time that she would take Mokuba's advice and not make it personal (because like most things with Seto, it probably wasn't) but she still found herself wishing that he could have been beside her opening presents and sharing in the joy. It would have been nice to get some kind of confirmation that he was as excited about the baby as the rest of them.

All of this was on her mind as she walked into her bathroom and flicked on the light - only to nearly faint at the sight of what was waiting for her on the counter beside her sink:

A giant crystal vase, filled with what had to be one hundred tiny pink roses.

Serenity bit her lip as she walked over to it where it sat and picked up the folded piece of paper propped up against its base. As she did, two photos fell out: an extra copy of the ultrasound photo that she didn't even realize the nurse had made and an old picture of a toddler that could only have been Mokuba.

In scrawly cursive, the paper itself read " _Definitely not a tadpole; definitely the same nose."_


	20. I don't feel anything

Well… shit. This is legitimately the first time I have ever cried while writing anything. Stuff I write myself usually doesn't have that effect on me, but this chapter took a turn I didn't expect. It sounds funny to say that, but sometimes I start with a premise in mind and then when I put the characters in it and started fleshing out the dialogue, it goes somewhere I don't expect it to go. This time, I liked it enough to keep it. Um, prepare for feels? O.O

* * *

"You landed on Park Place! Which means you owe me fifteen hundred dollars," Mai announced, holding out her hand expectantly.

"It's only fifteen hundred if you have a hotel on it, Mai, and you don't even have a house. So I'll be paying you thirty-five," Téa replied. "Nice try, though."

Serenity laughed.

"Don't look at me. This is probably my second time playing Monopoly, and the first time was pretty much just Joey and me throwing the little plastic houses at each other when we were kids."

As she watched Mai roll the dice and pass GO (for what seemed like the twentieth time at least) Serenity reached up to put her hair in a messy bun. However, when she looked back up, she saw that her friend had abandoned the game entirely and was staring at her in shock and delight.

"Look at the sparkle from those earrings!" she exclaimed. "Where are _you_ going tonight?"

Serenity rolled her eyes, looking amused but at the same time a little guilty.

"Nowhere, of course. But Seto gave them to me yesterday, and I wanted him to see me wear them."

"They're real diamonds, aren't they?" Mai demanded. "I bet they're real."

"Well I didn't exactly ask," Serenity admitted. "And _I_ don't know how to tell."

Mai sighed and held out her hand. Though she suppressed a laugh, Serenity took out one of the earrings and passed it over.

"What, can _you_ tell?" Téa demanded, leaning in.

Rather than responding, Mai held the earring up to the daylight coming in through the window. Turning it around 360 degrees and nodding slowly, she lowered it and blew a stream of warm air onto the stone and examined it again. Then - to Serenity and Téa's confusion and amusement - she rubbed it lightly against one of her teeth. Finally, seeming satisfied with her conclusion, Mai held out the earring and gave Serenity a very serious look.

"Well, in my semi-professional opinion, you've got yourself a pair of princess cut, two TCW, D or G clarity diamonds in a white gold or platinum setting."

Téa - though, if she was anything like Serenity, she had only followed about half of what Mai had said - looked awestruck.

Serenity, on the other hand, seemed almost fearful as she accepted the earring.

"What kind of money is that?" she asked softly.

Mai grinned, still clearly thrilled to be the one delivering the news.

"Again, I'm only semi-professional… but I'd say you've been lying around in your PJs with somewhere between five and seven thousand dollars in your ears."

Téa and Serenity exchanged a look of shock.

"What did Kaiba say when he gave them to you?" Téa asked. "Was it some kind of occasion? Did he act like it was a big deal?"

"He didn't," Serenity replied. "Because he didn't even really _give_ them to me. I just found the blue velvet box on my bedside table with my breakfast tray one morning when I woke up."

Téa's mouth dropped open, and Mai shook her head.

"See, this is why I never could be with Kaiba. I could never figure him out, and it would piss me off," she said. "Is this the first time he's ever given you a random present like that?"

"It's the first time it's been anything quite that extravagant," Serenity admitted as she put the earring back in her ear. "But he's left other things here in my room. Three weeks ago, after the baby shower you guys threw me, I woke up to go to the bathroom and found a vase of a _hundred and ten_ pink rosebuds on my sink. I counted them, or I wouldn't have believed it."

Téa put a hand over her mouth and shook her head, clearly overwhelmed by the idea of such a romantic gesture.

"So what do you think it all means?" Mai pushed, not so easily moved. "What is he trying to accomplish?"

"I'm not totally sure," Serenity admitted. "But I sort of hope that... maybe it's his way of saying that he actually feels something for me and likes having me around."

"Well yeah!" Téa replied. "I'd say so!"

"It's just a little funny, the way he communicates," Serenity continued. "It's like actually coming out and saying he likes having me here or he's excited about the baby would be a major show of vulnerability, so that's not an option. He could write me letters or something, I guess, but by sticking with anonymous expensive gifts, he can express some kind of sentiment _and_ still show off some power and keep his distance. It's much more his style."

"Well, I wouldn't object if I were you," Mai said. "After all, if everything goes downhill, you can't pawn love notes. But those earrings would be almost a year's rent!"

Téa rolled her eyes.

"Okay, Mai, which is it? Is he passionately in love with her in secret, or is he going to walk out at any moment, forcing her to pawn her jewelry? Make up your mind."

Mai opened her mouth to retort, but before she could, they both saw Serenity's eyes widen and her hand slide up to slowly the side of her belly.

"What's up?" Téa asked. "Does something hurt?"

"No," Serenity replied slowly. "It's actually more like… a fluttery feeling. Almost like a tickle."

Téa gasped in sudden understanding, and Mai immediately plunged her hand down to join Serenity's.

"I can't feel anything!" she complained. "Is it still happening?"

"It's more like… over here. Is that what I think it is?"

Serenity moved Mai's hand, and after a moment, the other woman's eyes lit up.

"Oh my God, yes! That's _her!_ She's kicking!"

"Can I feel?" Téa asked.

In response, Serenity - whose expression had transformed into a wide smile - grabbed her hand and moved it down to replace Mai's. After a moment, Téa gasped and snatched her hand back again.

"What's the matter?" Mai demanded.

"I just… didn't expect it to be so strong!" Téa replied. She slowly put her hand back, and as it rested there, her eyes started to tear up.

"It's your _baby_ , Serenity!" she whispered. "She's okay, and she's moving around!"

Serenity nodded, laughing in delight. Meanwhile, Mai looked around and smiled conspiratorially.

"I'm going to get Kaiba!"

"No, wait!" Serenity exclaimed. "Mai, don't bother him right now. He's in his home office, so he's probably really busy with something. He can feel it when he visits later."

Though she tried to make the excuse that she just didn't want to annoy Seto, the truth was that she couldn't help but feel anxious about inviting him in to share something so tender and personal. Even though she saw him daily, they still hadn't managed to connect over anything that mattered. A part of her was afraid that he really _wouldn't_ care that much and she would end up feeling dumb or rejected when his lack of excitement showed in front of her friends.

Of course, Mai wasn't taking no for an answer.

"The baby might not be moving later, and besides, this is _his_ daughter; he ought to be the one feeling the kicks, not us," Mai replied. "Look - I got him to invite you over for dinner in the beginning, didn't I? I can get him to walk down the damn stairs and put his hand on your belly."

Serenity sighed, but she couldn't help but chuckle.

"Go ahead," she relented. "Up the stairs, then the office somewhere on the left side. But you should knock first."

Mai, who was already at the door, gave her a thumbs-up as she took off down the hall.

"There's no _way_ she's going to knock," Téa said, once she was out of earshot.

* * *

Serenity heard Mai and Seto's voices in the hallway before either of them actually entered the room.

" _If she's not sick, then why is it an emergency?" Seto's voice demanded crossly. "And why do you have to be so mysterious?"_

" _You'll see!"_

Téa, still sitting at the foot of the bed, burst into silent giggles. However, Serenity felt her anxiety spike all over again.

 _Mai hadn't even told Seto why she was bringing him downstairs!_

Fortunately, Serenity didn't have too much time to agonize over the situation, because before she knew it, Seto was standing in the doorway looking equal parts confused and suspicious.

"Hey," she said shyly.

"Hello," he replied. "Are you feeling alright? Apparently, I had to come down _immediately_ because there was some kind of emergency."

Serenity felt her cheeks redden, but she muscled past her shyness.

"Well, maybe not an _emergency_ , exactly… But here, sit down for a second. Give me your hand."

Looking around at the three of them - but seeing no explanation forthcoming - Seto took a seat beside her on the bed. Gently, Serenity took his right hand and positioned it on her left side right below the blanket, where she had felt the sensation before.

Seto looked up at her, his eyes widening as he suddenly understood what was taking place. They sat in silence for a moment.

"I don't feel anything," he said finally.

"Hang on just a second. It might - _wait!_ Did you feel that?"

About that point, Serenity watched over Seto's shoulder as Téa shuffled Mai out of the room, presumably to give them some privacy. Though Serenity would miss their company, she was momentarily grateful that she would be able to process Seto's reaction - whatever it was going to be - without worrying about what anyone else would think.

Once the door had closed behind them, Seto looked up again, his eyes connecting with hers as the fluttering continued.

"She's started kicking harder than before," Serenity said softly. "I think she likes you."

"Mokuba used to do that."

The words had come out so suddenly, and Seto had been so silent up to that point, Serenity almost couldn't believe it had really been him who said them.

"What do you mean?" she asked breathlessly.

"When my mother was pregnant with Mokuba, she used to say that he would kick harder when he heard my voice. She'd let me feel it, and it felt just like this."

"How old were you?" Serenity asked.

She knew the two brothers were five years apart, give or take, but she would have said anything to keep him talking about something that actually meant something to him.

"He was born the July after I turned five," Seto replied. "I remember feeling him move for the first time on Valentine's Day. My father bought a box of chocolate hearts for my mother to give me, since she couldn't go out and buy them herself. It was a thoughtful thing to do, but I was so excited to finally feel the baby move that I forgot all about them until the next day."

"Why couldn't she buy it?" Serenity asked.

Seto looked confused for a moment.

"The chocolate," Serenity clarified. "Why couldn't your mom go out and buy it herself?"

Seto gave her a long look, and it appeared for a moment as though he was realizing there was something important she didn't know.

"My mother was on bedrest with Mokuba," he said finally, pulling his hand away and leaning back. "For the last six months - well, five months. There were a lot of complications, and he ended up being born premature. The delivery... didn't go well."

Serenity felt her stomach plummet.

 _Suddenly everything made sense_.

 _The way Seto had dropped everything and raced to the hospital when she called and said she was bleeding. The way he stood up to the doctor and insisted she stay overnight. His immediate insistence that she move in with him so she never had to lift a finger to cook or clean or work._

 _The way Mokuba understood - even anticipated - Seto's panic about her and the baby._

 _The way Seto protected Mokuba with his life._

Serenity didn't know where to start.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she finally asked.

"It's not exactly something that comes up in everyday conversation," Seto replied. "And besides, I didn't want to scare you. My mother's situation was different from yours in almost every way. We grew up poor in a small town, and I don't think she ever even had an ultrasound. There was only one doctor, and as soon as she started having issues, he just told her she was working too hard and she should rest more. She was in a lot of pain... all the time."

"I'm sorry," Serenity said softly, though the words felt pitifully insufficient.

Seto shook his head as he looked out the window.

"She was strong enough to keep Mokuba alive. That's the only thing that mattered to her. The day he was born, the doctor got there too late, and she had already been bleeding too long. Despite my dad begging her to think of herself - and me - she told the doctor to spend all his time and effort keeping the baby alive. And he did."

Serenity bit her lip, her heart breaking for all of them.

"But it's not going to come down to a choice like that where you're concerned," Seto said quickly. "You have a diagnosis, and there's a professional medical team on call all hours as long as you're here."

"I'm not worried," Serenity replied. "I know the baby's healthy, and I know I am, too. You've worked hard to keep it that way."

Seto finally made eye contact with her one last time before getting to his feet.

"Thank you for showing me that - or at least giving your permission for me to be dragged down to feel it. I'm glad to know that the baby is strong and you're still feeling well. A staff member will bring your dinner shortly."

Though there were a thousand more things Serenity wanted to say, she knew that Seto had definitely met his quota for persona revelations for the rest of the day - if not the rest of the week or month. As badly as she wanted to push him to confide more, she knew him well enough to know how counterproductive that would be in the end.

So she let him go.


	21. You're trembling

This is it. This is The Chapter. Every silentshipping fic has The Chapter, where Seto tiptoes out of character just enough to progress the plot. We love it; we live for it. And here it is. Sorry there's been more of a wait than usual between chapters, but thanks for being patient - I hope this is worth it. For whatever it's worth, the working title of this chapter was "Ice cream covered screaming hyperactive thought," after a lyric from the song "Stray Italian Greyhound" by Vienna Teng, which played a huge role in inspiring this chapter's events. After it was written, though, I decided that "Safety Dance" by Sleeping at Last was actually a better fit mood-wise. Then, for the second half, I also thought of "Change Your Mind" by Sister Hazel. That's just the most silentshippy song ever, tbh.

Also, you may have noticed before: each chapter tends to follow one character around and be limited-omniscient to them. It's usually Seto or Serenity, but it has been Mai or Mokuba before. For the last, like, eight chapters, it's been Serenity… but this is a Seto chapter. Enjoy. ;)

* * *

Seto lightly knocked on the door to the master bedroom. It wasn't closed – just pulled-to – but he didn't want to be presumptuous.

"Come on in," came the voice from inside.

As he opened the door and leaned in, he saw Serenity lying in bed, smiling softly.

"Am I waking you up?" Seto asked.

Though he disguised the question as politeness, he was more or less just looking for an escape. When they had been preparing for Serenity to move in, he had promised himself (and Mokuba) that he would visit her at least once every day, and he had maintained his end of the bargain up to that point. However, after having slipped up and revealed so much the day before, Seto was feeling some discomfort about coming face-to-face with her again. He admittedly would have preferred to avoid it for as long as possible.

"No, not at all! I was just reading. Come have a seat."

So much for that idea.

"I brought you something," he said, holding out a brown paper grocery bag and trying desperately to disguise how awkward he was feeling.

"Really?" Serenity asked.

"Yes. Mokuba told me this was one of your favorites."

As Seto pulled out the pint of ice cream, he watched Serenity's eyes light up.

"It _is_ my favorite!" she exclaimed. "Thank you so much!"

Seto found himself resisting a surge of heat to his face. Though he had given her gifts in the past, it was unusual that he did so face-to-face. Also, whether or not he would have readily admitted it to her or to himself, this particular offering had originally been intended to serve as a distraction to keep her from delving into deeply personal conversation like that of the previous day.

When he saw her obvious excitement and appreciation, though, he began to feel a little guilty about his ulterior motives.

"Did you bring a spoon?" Serenity asked, looking up at Seto again.

"A spoon? What, are you going to eat it now? Out of the carton?"

Serenity simply stared, as though confused by the question. Finally, she shook her head and looked over at her bedside table.

"It's okay; I have one from my tea earlier."

Serenity reached for a teaspoon that sat in the mug on her bedside table and tapped off the remaining traces of peppermint tea. Plunging it into the carton of ice cream, she took the first bite and closed her eyes in delight.

"It's perfect," she mumbled around the mouthful of ice cream.

Opening her eyes, she saw Seto standing over the bed awkwardly and gave him a shy smile.

"If you want to take a seat, I'm happy to share."

Seto looked around, as though he was searching for an excuse.

"I mean it," Serenity replied. "Stay. Otherwise I'll eat the whole pint and make myself sick."

Seeing no way out of it, Seto sat down on the spot on the side of the bed that he had so frequently seen his little brother occupy. Though he had often found himself feeling pity for Serenity, stuck in this room for twenty-four hours a day, he had to admit there were certainly worse places to be stuck. The mattress was soft, and the room smelled like the apple-scented candle burning on the windowsill. The space was covered in half-finished craft projects, magazines, and sorts of other little gifts, brought to her by the friends and family who visited so regularly. It struck him with both shock and a strange sort of sadness: this girl, sick and stuck in one place with her life entirely derailed, was still much happier than he was.

Before he knew it, his reverie had been interrupted by a spoonful of ice cream being held up to his face.

"Try it," Serenity urged. "You went to the trouble of getting it for me, you should at least get to have a few bites."

His resolve had been sufficiently weakened. Seto opened his mouth and allowed her to push in the spoon.

His first impression was intense sweetness. It was shocking to his system, unaccustomed as he was to sweets since his own very early childhood. It was unexpectedly pleasant, though, whether or not he wanted to admit it. The contrast between the sticky caramel and the cold ice cream was better than he had expected. He probably wouldn't have added the chocolate chips, but it wasn't bad.

Not bad at all, really.

"You like it," Serenity said, giving him a mischievous look.

"It's okay – "

Seto found himself interrupted by another spoonful that he hadn't been prepared for. As such, rather than going into his mouth, it smashed into his nose.

He was momentarily stunned into silence, and he slowly raised a hand to cover the mess.

Serenity gasped.

"I'm so sorry, that really was an accident," she said. "I thought you were ready."

"It's not a big deal," Seto sighed, making use of a tissue from the side table to wipe off some of the mess. Satisfied that he'd done all he could without water, he looked up in frustration –

Only to be met with the flushed face and hazel eyes of a girl who may have been an actual angel.

The sunlight streaming in through the parted curtains fell in streaks across the bed, one of which lit up the corner of her lips and the bridge of her nose, revealing the shadows of freckles he had never really noticed before that moment. Her hair, though in need of a wash and piled up unceremoniously on top of her head, seemed to crown her like a halo.

Serenity's spoon froze halfway between the carton and her mouth as she watched him watch her, the look in his eyes making it clear even without words that there was something new and unanticipated passing between them. She didn't look away or object to his penetrating gaze, which probably explained why she put the spoon down and leaned in – rather than away – as he came closer and planted a soft, uncertain kiss on her sticky lips.

"That's the first time you've kissed me… since the morning after," she said breathlessly as he pulled away.

"I know… and I'm sorry," he replied.

"Do it again."

Seto obliged, and Serenity leaned into the kiss more actively this time, placing a hand on his cheek. Before he could really figure out what he was doing, Seto found himself sliding into the bed so he was lying beside her, one of his hands resting against her shoulder. A few moments – and a few more kisses – passed like this before he pulled away again and stared at her with wide, startled eyes.

"You're trembling," she whispered.

"You might be surprised… but this isn't a normal Tuesday afternoon for me. Any more than yesterday was a normal Monday."

Serenity laughed quietly, and the two kissed once or twice more, but instinct suddenly caused them to separate at the sound of footsteps on the stairs.

It seemed like less than a second passed - far less time than would have been required to get up and fake innocence - before Seto looked up to see Mokuba leaning in the door that he himself had left ajar earlier. The three remained silent for a moment, Mokuba taking in the sight of his brother half-sitting, half-lying on the edge of Serenity's mattress, his face still smudged with ice cream and his trench coat bunched up underneath him. Though the younger man tried to keep his expression neutral, his eyes lit up in a way that he couldn't cover up or excuse.

"Am I to guess it's not what it looks like?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

Serenity shrugged and laughed a little.

"Well… depends on what you think it looks like, I guess."

"Say no more, say no more," Mokuba replied, grinning widely. "Don't let me interrupt. As you were, then."

Winking, he backed out of the room. Seto and Serenity looked at each other.

"That didn't stay a secret very long," he observed.

"It didn't really need to," she replied. "Joey won't be thrilled – I think he might hoped I would go into hiding with the kid and just get checks in the mail now and then – but that doesn't matter. He'll get over it, and our baby will have a happier life if you and I can stand the sight of each other."

"I've always been able to stand the sight of you," Seto said, rolling over on his back and looking up at the ceiling. "More than that, really. I remember the first time I ever saw you."

"Really?" Serenity demanded. "When was it? What did you think?"

"It was when you were boarding the blimp with your brother at the tournament I hosted, all those years ago. My first impression was that I couldn't believe someone so beautiful came from the same gene pool as he did."

Serenity laughed out loud.

"Well, what was your second thought, then?"

"I remember wondering what it would even be like if there were a chance in hell I could end up with someone like you," Seto found himself admitting. "But you were so young and sweet and innocent, and I just knew you would get together with a schoolboy like Devlin or that friend of your brother's. A part of me almost wished we weren't living in universes totally separate from each other."

"But I never did. And years later... here I am," Serenity said softly.

"Here you are," Seto agreed.

This time, it was Serenity who initiated the kiss, pulling Seto back down beside her by the collar of his coat. She kissed him deeply, almost as though she were trying to reclaim whatever was left of the ice cream on his upper lip. He settled back onto the bed next to her, his fingers threading into the back of her hair. Serenity smiled, but couldn't quite suppress a yawn as she settled into the space beside him.

"Tired?" Seto asked.

Serenity nodded silently, playing with a loose thread that hung down from one of the buttons on his shirt.

"Sleep, then. It's fine."

Giving him a cautious smile, Serenity allowed her eyes to close. A moment or two later, her breathing evened out and turned into soft snores.

Seto slid out of his coat. Every other night of his life, he had dutifully hung it up to shake out wrinkles and perhaps even contemplated whether he would have a housekeeper press it for him before work the following day. However, this particular night, he shoved it off the edge of the bed where it landed in a rumpled pile.

Something about it felt liberating.

He rolled over on his side and nestled up beside Serenity, her curves seeming to match the shape of his body perfectly.

* * *

When Seto awoke, he was confused for a second about where he was. Though it had gotten dark outside and there wasn't any more light coming in through the windows, he could tell that he was in his own house just by the color of the walls and the height of the ceiling. However, he also knew instinctively that he wasn't in his own bed. He experienced a momentary spike of anxiety – but as he felt the warm, softly-snoring girl nestled into his chest, it all fell back into place.

The ice cream. The kisses. The _honesty_.

Though he had solved the mystery, Seto didn't feel much calmer as a result. His world was reeling, almost the way it did during a particularly bad hangover. He wished that's all it was, because he knew how to handle one of those. Hangovers were an easy fix: two ibuprofen and a cup of black coffee would have set him right and sent him on his way to being his usual, self-possessed, aggressive self.

But today, that wouldn't do.

He was going to have to change a few things.

No, a lot of things.

Seto took a deep breath and extricated himself carefully from Serenity, who sniffled and pulled herself in a little bit more tightly at the absence of his warmth. He found himself start to smile at the sight and paused in momentary shock.

 _What was going on? What were these feelings?_

Picking up his discarded coat and tossing it over one shoulder - careful to avoiding dipping a sleeve in the melted half-empty carton of ice cream on the bedside table - Seto ran a hand through his hair and left the room to head to the kitchen. He knew that he needed a breath of fresh air and something to eat or drink – and maybe just a few minutes alone to remind himself who he spent all of his teens and twenties becoming and decide if he could reconcile anything about that person with the feelings he had begun to feel.

He was barely halfway down the hall when the hope of solitude was quickly dashed by his brother's grinning face leaning out from the well-lit game room.

"What are you still doing up?" Seto demanded.

Mokuba's smile never faltered.

"What are you doing up at all?" he demanded. "Needed to re-hydrate?"

Seto groaned out loud, the innuendo far from lost on him.

"We _didn't_ – "

"C'mon," Mokuba interrupted. "You don't have to lie to me. I may not want to _picture_ it, but I'm happy for you. Really."

"I mean we really _didn't_ ," Seto replied more firmly. "Her doctor said not until six weeks after the delivery. And besides… it's just more complicated than that."

"Ah. Well that's a shame."

Seto continued on his way to the kitchen, Mokuba following a few steps behind.

"You seem pretty miserable, for a guy who just slept half the night next to a beautiful girl that he's been madly in love with for going on six months," the latter observed after they walked for a minute or two in silence. "It definitely sucks that you can't do much besides kiss her, but kissing can still be nice. Better than sitting alone all night in front of a computer screen, anyway."

Seto shook his head, turning on the fluorescent lights in the very monochromatic, industrial-looking kitchen that was typically intended just for the use of the cooking staff. He made his way over to a small, two-person table situated in the corner.

"That's exactly the thing," he said. "I've got a lot to sort out."

Mokuba opened the enormous walk-in pantry on the other side of the kitchen and rummaged around for a few minutes before walking over to the table as well, bringing with him a bag of potato chips.

"Eat something," he urged, holding the bag out to his brother. "You two slept right through dinner."

"Thanks."

Potato chips were not Seto's typical choice of snack – any more than caramel chocolate chip ice cream – but he dutifully took a handful and ate them.

"You didn't ever see yourself here, did you?" Mokuba asked, smiling evenly as his brother crunched on the chips.

"Where? In our kitchen at midnight eating salt and vinegar chips?"

"You _know_ what I mean."

"I know," Seto admitted. "I'm three months away from being a father, and the mother of my child is lying around our house in pajamas and diamond earrings. And I really like kissing her."

"When you put it that way, it actually sounds pretty perfect," Mokuba observed.

"Ostensibly, it is," Seto agreed. "I just can't stop being myself long enough to enjoy it."

Mokuba laughed out loud.

"At least you're honest. But I really don't think you're giving yourself enough credit," he said. "Just because you're not in the habit of enjoying other people's company doesn't mean you're not capable of it. We've always liked hanging out together, right?"

Seto sighed.

"You know I love spending time with you," he said. "But that's different."

"Why though?"

"Because you know what we've been through and why I am the way I am, I guess. I don't have to make apologies or pretend with you."

"You don't with her either," Mokuba said gently. "She's been through a lot of what we have, you know."

"In what way?"

"Her dad wasn't much better than ours," Mokuba said. "You should ask her about it sometime. She's stayed up her share of late nights worrying about her brother and trying to put on a brave face. You guys have a lot in common, and Serenity's a very forgiving person anyway. If you give her the chance and explain yourself to her, she would probably be very understanding."

Seto sighed again, this time more deeply.

"Tell me, Mokuba," he said. "Is it worth it, putting yourself out there and giving other people the chance to disappoint you?

"Yes," Mokuba replied, not missing a beat. "I've never regretted it one time. And for what it's worth, she won't. Disappoint you, I mean."


	22. I took the day off

I'm so sorry about the delay - we're (finally) getting into the part of the story that isn't written yet, so I'm having to write some of this as I go. I still have a chapter or two sort of ready, but I'm having to flesh things out around what I already have as the story changes. One reason for the late post is because I've been a little stumped as to how to approach this chapter. Originally, it wasn't going to exist, but I decided that the reader needed to see their relationship develop more than one or two chapters would allow. THEN, it was sort of going the direction of a fanservice chapter. BUT then it oddly got meaningful and deep again at the last minute. #idk

Hope you enjoy and it's (almost, kinda, maybe?) worth the wait!

* * *

Seto was in a position he had never anticipated.

This fact was both literally true - he had never quite imagined he would be standing outside the downstairs master bedroom of his own home holding a breakfast tray - _and_ situationally true, as he had also never imagined that the person waiting on the other side would be Wheeler's sister, confined to bed rest due to an accidental pregnancy with his child.

And that his heart would be rising into his throat, no less, as he waited for the sound of her voice.

Life could be strange sometimes.

Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

Though he had been afraid of waking her up, the voice on the other side didn't sound too sleepy. He opened the door slowly.

Serenity lay in bed, wearing the same t-shirt and pajama pants she had the night before. Her hair was still in the messy bun, but it had become messier still from a night of sleep. There was something on TV - some kind of remodeling or decorating show - but she seemed more focused on the sudoku puzzle in her lap.

When she looked up and saw him, her eyes lit up.

"Seto!"

He was momentarily surprised to notice the joy in her voice as she said his name. It wasn't something he was particularly used to hearing.

"Good morning," he said softly. "I've brought your breakfast."

"I can see that!" she replied, moving her puzzlebook off her lap and accepting the tray. "And it's an acai bowl! I _love_ those. Did you make it?"

"It was actually waiting in the refrigerator this morning under a post-it note with your name on it," Seto admitted. "I think you can thank Mokuba for that."

Serenity laughed and gestured for him to take a seat on the bed.

"Mokuba Kaiba, matchmaker. Changing lives one smoothie bowl at a time."

Seto gave her a cautious smile. He was momentarily concerned that it felt so unnatural, and he worried that he looked ridiculous.

Serenity didn't seem to notice.

"I figured you would be at work," she observed, removing the blueberry matcha tea bag from the cup on her tray.

"I took the day off."

"Oh... okay."

They sat in silence for a moment or two as Serenity ate, the chatter on the TV the only background noise aside from the occasional clink of the spoon scraping against the bowl. It was a noticeable silence, but Seto remarked that it wasn't oppressive - if anything, it was even comfortable. It also didn't feel forced when Serenity broke it off with a satisfied sigh.

"I think acai berries might be one of my favorite foods," she admitted as put the empty bowl down on the tray. "Which is so funny, because I'd never tasted them until the first time Mokuba made me one of these."

"Well, some doctors say the foods that taste best to you are the foods with the nutrients you need the most," Seto replied. "And acai berries have foIic acid, which I read recently is good during pregnancy."

Serenity put down her fork and gave him a skeptical look.

"Read where?"

"A book."

Serenity gazed at Seto, a smile coming across her face. He had to resist the urge to avert his eyes, although he wasn't sure why.

"You're reading about babies?"

"Well, yes," he admitted. "I ordered a few books - I was going to give them to you, originally - but I got to reading them one night and I actually learned a lot. I know what a placenta looks like, for example. And I know that babies don't have kneecaps."

Serenity picked up one of the hardboiled eggs on her tray and began to peel it, but the wonder remained in her eyes.

"You can be a really thoughtful, funny person, Seto," she observed out loud, after a moment had passed. "You're not anything like the way you come across."

"You know, people always tell me that like it's a compliment," he replied. "It doesn't say much for the way I come across."

Serenity chuckled.

"It doesn't really matter, I guess. The people who matter seem to see through it."

Seto wasn't sure how to respond to that, so her words hung in the air between them.

He watched her intently as she finished her egg and brushed the bits of shell onto the corner of her placemat. Picking up a small paper packet of sugar, she emptied it into her teacup and stirred it around. Seto found that watching her complete these little mundane tasks was somehow mesmerizing, and he couldn't help but wonder what she felt when she watched him going through his life around her, typing on his laptop or answering stupid work calls or - like the day before - sitting, stunned, with ice cream on his nose.

His reverie was broken as he suddenly realized that she had looked up and was watching him watch her.

"Seto," she said softly, reaching out and putting a hand, still warm from the teacup, over one of his own. "It's way past time for us to be honest with each other. Something happened last night, and I liked it. I don't want us to pretend to forget about it and just go back to the way we were before. So be honest with me: what are you thinking about?"

The directness of her order - which, despite its gentleness, truly was more order than request - moved him. He responded more honestly that he probably would have liked.

"I'm honestly wondering who you see when you look at me," he said. "I know last night was important. But I don't know what it's going to mean for the future or even what it means for right now, to be honest. All I know is, you're sitting here, talking about seeing through barriers I never even consciously put up, and I really want to know: what do you think of me? When you look at me, what do you _actually_ see?"

Serenity smiled gently. Almost sadly.

"I think I'm starting to see the guy Mokuba talks about," she said. "The one who secretly likes philosophy and jazz. Who loves medium-rare steak and dark chocolate and doesn't think noodles belong in soup."

He felt his eyes widen, and Serenity continued.

"The guy who has brilliant blue eyes and a hilarious, sarcastic sense of humor… but who hates crowds and prefers that people call him by his last name, even though he doesn't even really like his last name. More than anything, the guy who can't stand the thought, for a single second, of not being in control of everything about his own destiny."

The two sat in silence for a moment, the honesty in her words holding some kind of unexpected power. When Seto finally found it within himself to speak up, his tone was one of resignation.

"And… what do you think about that person?"

"To my surprise… and maybe even against my better judgment… he's become one of my very favorite people."

Serenity was the one to initiate the kiss that time around, leaning in while Seto was still sitting in shocked silence and closing her lips over his. He remained frozen for a moment, but as she placed a hand on his cheek, he felt himself snap back to reality. The energy that sparked within him at the feeling of her touch was sudden and forceful, and he found that he had to restrain himself so that he didn't come on too strong. He tried to be gentle as he deepened the kiss, moving slowly in case she protested.

She didn't.

In fact, slowly - almost experimentally - Serenity slid the hand that had been on Seto's cheek to the back of his neck and wound the fingers he had watched so closely just moments before into his thick brown hair.

He felt a shiver go down his spine, and he pulled back for a moment and looked into her eyes.

"Are you alright? Is… this alright?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

"Yes. This is more than alright."

Carefully - avoiding the empty breakfast tray, which had been discarded at her feet - Seto eased himself down onto the bed. Serenity rolled over so that they were face-to-face, their foreheads nearly touching. They remained like that for a moment, almost as though they were both unsure what they should do next - or perhaps more importantly, who should be the one to initiate it.

It ended up being Serenity, but not in a way that Seto had anticipated.

"This isn't very romantic," she began, "... but I'm worried I have bad breath."

Though he was momentarily caught off-guard, Seto just shook his head.

"No - just acai berry breath, really."

Serenity laughed a little.

"I still kind of want to brush my teeth. And wash my hair, maybe."

"You can," Seto replied. "I don't want you to change your routine on my account."

Serenity nodded and sat up slowly, groaning a little with the effort it took to get her stiff joints to cooperate. Carefully, she got to her feet and picked up a hairbrush from her bedside table then headed toward the bathroom.

Seto wasn't entirely sure what he should do, but he ventured a suggestion anyway.

"Should I just come back in a little while?" he asked as he got to his feet.

Serenity turned around, her expression almost a little bit guilty.

"Here's the thing," she started. "I'm not really supposed to shower too often because, you know... it's sort of unnecessary movement. And it's not like I get too dirty lying around on these clean sheets all day. Whenever I eventually have to wash my hair, though, I always have this crazy fear that I'm going to slip and really hurt myself or the baby. As safe as that shower is, I freak out every time, and it's easily the worst part of my week."

"So… do you want me to stay?"

" _Could_ you?"

Seto was struck by many different emotions all at once. First of all, there was surprise. That, he assumed, was to be expected. He couldn't recall ever having a woman ask him point-blank if he would do her the favor of watching her shower. However, along those same lines, some of the other feelings were proving greater sources of discomfort. There was the nervousness he tried to deny, and even worse yet, a twinge of something that made him feel even more ashamed and conflicted: a mounting curiosity or even lust.

These were not feelings he was used to confronting sober, with another person.

"Yes," he said finally. "I can do that."

"Thank you!"

The smile Serenity gave him was sweet and fully trusting, and in a way, it restored his resolve. Whatever was about to happen, _she_ , at least, felt confident about it.

Though Seto paused at the bathroom door, she glanced back at him again, and he followed her the rest of the way in. He also made a point of shutting the door behind them, lest Mokuba get bored and wander into the room to challenge Serenity to a round of Trivial Pursuit. Of all the things for his brother to walk in on, this would perhaps be the most awkward and difficult to explain.

Meanwhile, Serenity turned on the water in the shower and held her hand under it for a moment to gauge the temperature.

"It always gets warm really quick down here," she explained. "I think it's because we're on the ground floor closer to the water heater."

Seto merely nodded and took a seat on a stool that sat beside the door, thinking to himself that the water wasn't the only thing getting hot - he could feel the color rising to his cheeks, and he resisted it with every fiber of his being. To add to his discomfort, he wasn't entirely sure how he was supposed to be conducting himself this particular situation. He resolved that, to be safe, he should look away as soon as she looked like she was going to undress.

As though in response to his thoughts, Serenity reached for the hem of her shirt and moved to pull it over her head as nonchalantly as if he weren't even there. However, before she even had it past her stomach, Seto had already directed his gaze sideways toward the closed door. As he waited for the sound of the shower curtain being opened and then pulled closed again - the sound that he had decided would be his cue to look up - he heard what sounded like a drawstring being undone and the rustle of pajama pants hitting the floor.

Then she spoke up.

"Seto?"

"...yes?"

"You don't have to stare at the wall if you don't want to."

If he thought he had been overwhelmed by an onslaught of emotion before, it was nothing compared to the tidal wave that hit him when he heard those words. Seto's first impulse - as much as he hated to admit it - was to retreat and put up a wall like he always had before, perhaps by making some kind of sarcastic remark about not being _that_ desperate.

But even in his own mind, that sounded petty and childish. And moreover, there was a stronger, newer voice within his head that was indigant on his _own_ behalf:

 _Why did he always have to resist things he truly wanted - friendship, connection, relationship - to prove a point? Who was he even trying to prove something to in the first place? How long was he going to have to live his life pretending that he didn't want to go to a surprise baby shower or eat a bite of ice cream... or see a beautiful girl naked?_

So in a gesture of surrender, Seto looked up -

And beautiful did not even _begin_ to describe her.

Serenity was blushing too, perhaps even more deeply than he was. The steam of the shower had caused her long, loose red hair to curl into tendrils around her rosy cheeks as it led down to her bare breasts. They seemed slightly fuller and rounder than Seto remembered - not that he objected. Like everything else about her, from her slender arms to her smooth thighs to the slight roundness of her belly, it was perfect.

 _She_ was perfect.

When his eyes rose to face again, Serenity met his gaze.

"I'm not putting you in a bad position, am I?" she asked softly, seeming to notice his wide-eyed reticence.

"No."

He wasn't sure if he said the word out loud or just mouthed it breathlessly, but the smile she gave him after it came out was all it took to completely undo him.

Approaching Serenity, Seto wrapped her up in his arms and pulled her into him, her softness contrasting with the starched cotton of the buttondown shirt he wore. Wordlessly, he guided her chin up so that their lips were angled to meet. Though his heart was pounding, he didn't resist as she lifted that same shirt over his head so that they touched skin-to-skin.

As the moments passed in warm, humid closeness, the room silent except for the sound of falling water and their own bated breaths, Seto Kaiba realized something: the charade was over. The facade that he had spent a lifetime constructing - that of a man who couldn't care less about anything beyond his brother and his image - had been shattered, and he wouldn't ever have the time or means to rebuild it.

He couldn't even if he wanted to, because he would never be able to pretend again that this woman didn't matter.


	23. I'll try to behave

Serenity opened her eyes and took a look at the alarm clock beside her bed:

6:17 PM.

She had apparently only napped for an hour or so, but if it weren't for the time on the clock and the soft bluish light still coming in through the curtains, she would have been certain that it was midnight at least.

Her day had been long and strange and eventful, but eventful in an incredible way - in the sense that it felt sort of like a fairytale. It had finally been made official: Seto Kaiba was her boyfriend. Her significant other. Her… _whatever_.

It seemed silly, even to her, that such a thing was a major development - after all, she was already living full-time in his house, due to give birth to his baby in four months. However, it had seemed before as though there was a certain distance between the two of them. She had still felt as though their arrangement was more out of pity or duty than out of true affection.

Suffice to say, the events of that morning had put any lingering suspicions to rest.

Serenity fought the urge to blush all over again at the memory of pulling Seto into the shower with her. He had seemed, at the time, somehow vulnerable and unsuspecting - and the effect had been endearing to say the least. Truth be told, that had probably been what gave her the nerve to make her move. He certainly hadn't objected. If anything, he almost looked as though an enormous tension had been released - like the clock had been ticking since the moment she moved into the house, and it was only a matter of time before one of them gave in and pulled the other along, too.

Serenity felt a little tingle of pride that she had been the one to decide her own fate - at least in that moment.

As incredible as all of that had been, perhaps the best part of all was the way that even after they had dried off and gotten dressed, Seto stuck around. For hours.

First he helped her solve the five-star sudoku that had been stumping her for a day or more, then he narrowly beat her at Trivial Pursuit, but then they talked.

And talked, and talked, and talked.

It was as though three months' of withheld conversations and confessions had poured out over the course of hours - from both of them. Though it seemed at first like the honesty and vulnerability had come out of nowhere, Serenity knew that it wasn't quite so random. She decided that even though people liked to deny it, there was something powerful about physical intimacy. Perhaps sometimes it was the gateway that made emotional intimacy come more easily, though she had been taught to believe it was supposed to be the other way around.

Serenity had always considered herself sort of an open book, but the more she and Seto spoke, the more she realized all the things - big and small - that he hadn't known about her. He listened with apparent fascination while she told him about the way she bit her nails and hated olives and never felt like she would measure up to image her brother had of her during the long years they were separated.

In turn, he had expounded on the things Mokuba had already told her. As it turned out, he didn't like just any dark chocolate, it had to be more than 72% cocoa. Apparently there was big difference. In addition to that, told her how stressed he was about the direction his company was going and how proud he was of his brother and how concerned he was about being somebody's parent after all the shortcomings of his _own_ father.

That was something they had in common.

After Seto left reluctantly - Mokuba apparently needed urgent help with something on his car - Serenity had just lingered there in the silence, looking back with awe over what had just happened.

Several hours and a short nap later, it still didn't feel real.

Shaking her head and glancing over at her phone, she was shocked to see that she had missed three messages from Joey. She must have been in a deeper sleep than she realized. The first was "Can i still visit 6 ?" sent nearly two hours ago. The other two were just "?" and "?" respectively.

Serenity suddenly felt a little guilty, remembering that she _had_ promised Joey they could have dinner together that evening. At the time, she hadn't had any way of knowing that Seto was going to take the day off from work, but she decided that she should still keep her plans with her brother if she could. Joey had a way of getting mopey and feeling neglected if she - or anybody else, for that matter - cancelled on him.

Opening her messages, she quickly typed out a response:

"Sure - what should I tell the staff 2 to bring us 2 eat?"

She also sent something to Seto, which was finally in her phone under his real name:

"Hey, I 4got I told Joey he could visit 2nite. Is that OK? He wont stay 2 late, he has 2 work early."

The messages came back almost simultaneously:

"ugh, nothing, bcuz then he would b paying 4 it. I will bring takeout. c u soon"

And:

"That's fine. This project is taking longer than I expected. I'll see you later tonight. 3"

Was that a _heart emoji?_ Had the aliens taken Kaiba?

As surreal as it seemed, Serenity felt as though her own heart was going to burst.

* * *

"Knock-knock."

Before she could even look up, Serenity recognized her brother's voice.

"Hey," she called, patting the bed beside her. "Get over here. Long time no see!"

Joey put down the brown paper bag he brought with him on the side table and gave her a tight one-armed hug. Sighing, he flopped down on the bed, not bothering to kick off his sneakers.

"It's always too long. What have you been up to?"

"Not too much," she replied. "Slowly but surely working my way through the puzzle book Yugi gave me at the baby shower, routinely losing to both Kaibas at just about every board game ever made. Exciting stuff like that."

Joey gave her a smile, but something about it seemed a little tight-lipped.

"So you guys are hanging out together a lot, huh?"

"What, me and Seto? Joey, I'm living in his _house_. He's going to be around."

Joey sighed again and shook his head, apparently willing to dismiss the topic, at least for the time being. Reaching for the paper bag, he opened it and handed her a sandwich wrapped in wax paper.

Serenity started to open it, but she paused and gave him a sly look.

"Turkey and cheese on wheat?"

"...light on the mayonnaise, extra tomato," he finished. "Sis, trust me, I know you."

"You're the _best_."

The two ate in relative quiet for a moment, interrupted only by the sound of Joey's phone buzzing. He groaned and reached over to hit a button on the side, after which it was quickly silenced.

Serenity raised an eyebrow.

"That wouldn't be Mai, would it?"

"Yeah… probably."

"Don't tell me you're fighting again," she sighed. "You know, the last time the two of you fought, I ended up pregnant."

Though he was unwilling to give in entirely, the corner of Joey's lip turned upward in a smile.

"Maybe that's why I'm supervising you better this time," he replied. "But anyway, don't worry about us. We always figure it out one way or another - have for going on five years now."

"Five years," Serenity repeated. "That's longer than I realized."

"Yeah, and it feels like even longer."

" _Joey!"_

Serenity elbowed her brother in the side, and he grinned and threw a tiny piece of lettuce that had fallen out of his sandwich toward her head. It landed somewhere near her ponytail.

"Hey, I just washed my hair this morning," she scolded as she combed through her hair with her fingers. "And showers are sort of an ordeal now."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Joey relented. "I'll try to behave - I guess the guys at the Game Shop have rubbed off on me a little."

Serenity smiled and shook her head. She finally found the wayward lettuce near her left ear, and she carefully picked it out and folded it into the napkin that had been sitting in her lap.

"I miss hanging out at the Game Shop," she finally admitted. "That's one of the first places I'm going to bring my little girl when all this is over."

"That's after you move back in with me, right?"

Serenity couldn't help but sigh. If she had it her way, she wouldn't think any further ahead than breakfast the next morning. However, it wasn't all that surprising coming from Joey; he seemed to find a way to bring it up almost every time he visited. Despite his persistence, he never got an answer - much less the affirmative answer he wanted - because that would require Serenity to be sure of things she wasn't at all sure about.

"Joey, you know I miss our life together, but like I said before, things are going to be different no matter what decision I make. Tell me, do you really want me to bring a baby into that tiny apartment? There's going to be crying, doctor's appointments, midnight feedings, and all kinds of things I probably haven't even thought about yet."

"I want you to come back," her brother replied firmly. "Whatever else comes with that, we'll deal with it how we need to."

"There's also…" Serenity's voice trailed off, but Joey interrupted her with a sigh of his own.

"Just say it. You don't want to leave Kaiba behind."

Her silence confirmed the truth in what he said.

"But why is that?" Joey demanded. "Does he really spend that much time in here with you? Do you have that much fun sitting and listening to him type and take work calls all day?"

"It's not like that," Serenity insisted. "It may have been in the beginning, but things are different now. He's really opened up to me, if you can believe it. He takes takes time out of his day to be with me and brings me presents and makes sure I'm feeling good. He took the day off today, and we spent the entire morning together. It was… really nice."

Joey studied his sister for a moment. He wasn't known for his ability to pick up on subtle cues, but it didn't require intuitive genius to figure out that she was omitting certain details. However, the longer he went without speaking up, the more it seemed like he knew whatever she was leaving out wasn't anything he wanted to hear anyway.

"I just think you'll be better off with family than trying to raise a kid all by yourself in this big drafty mansion, locked away from the world."

"But Joey," Serenity said softly. "I'm not really locked away from the world. Once the baby's born, I'll be able to come and go whenever I want. Besides… a really important part of my daughter's world is right here: her dad. I want her to get to know him and spend time with him. We didn't have a dad, and it made our lives really, really hard."

"We did have a dad," Joey countered. "He's just not worth mentioning because he didn't give a shit. Just _having_ a father around doesn't make your life better. He has to be the kind of person who cares a lot and knows how to raise a good kid. Kaiba's not going to magically turn into that guy once your baby is born."

"You said yourself that Mokuba's a good kid. Seto raised him."

Joey gave her a long look, unable to come up with a good response to that. Fortunately for him, he was spared the effort by the sound of another phone going off - this time, it was Serenity's.

He sighed.

"Let me guess: Kaiba?"

Serenity picked up the phone and glanced down. When she looked back up at her brother, she nodded and shrugged almost apologetically.

"Joey, just give him a chance," she implored. "You're _so_ determined to make him into a bad guy. He invited me to live with him, pays all my bills, has his staff wait on me hand and foot… and like I said, he's actually really sweet to me. He brings me things I want and makes me laugh. What more do you want from him?"

"I want him to go back in time and _not_ knock up my little sister."

And just like that, the tension was broken. Something about Joey's honesty, absurd though it was, put the situation back into perspective.

Joey's phone buzzed again, and he looked at it this time - even taking the time to type back a quick response. Groaning and stretching his arms, he got up from the bed and reached for his keys, which he had thrown down on the bedside table when he got there.

"Are you leaving?" Serenity asked.

"Yeah, I probably should. I think I owe Mai a bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates as a peace offering, and the gift shop on the corner closes at eight."

"Okay. Well, I hope the two of you get everything worked out. Tell her I said hi."

"Will do," he replied. "And you be good - don't let Kaiba give you any crap."

"I wouldn't even if he tried."

Joey leaned down and gave her a kiss on the forehead before turning to leave.

As he walked out the door, Serenity heard the sound of a second set of footsteps in the hallway. It had to be Seto, of course. There had been a time when she would have worried about her brother running into him, regardless of the circumstances, but that time had passed. They were far from being friends - as Joey's frustration earlier had made very clear - but ever since they all came face to face in the hospital, she at least trusted them enough to either nod in passing or just ignore one another altogether.

However, she _was_ surprised when she heard the sound of hushed voices.

It occurred to her for a moment that it might actually be Mokuba telling Joey hello, but that would have been strange; Mokuba probably had plans that night, or he wouldn't have been so adamant about getting his car fixed. Besides, even if he had decided to change his plans at the last minute, he probably would have come in sooner to sit and talk to them.

The voices in the hallway pretty much had to be Seto and Joey talking to one another.

Though Serenity's heart picked up a little bit, she didn't try to get up. There wasn't much she could have done to stop them if they decided they wanted to fight anyway. Resigning herself to whatever happened, she lay back on the pillows and listened for the voices to get louder or turn angry. After a minute or two had passed, she was surprised to observe that they hadn't. She couldn't make out anything they were saying, but it at least sounded civil.

 _Strange_.

It certainly wasn't bad… but it was definitely strange.


	24. Close your eyes

Hello all! Thanks for sticking with this one; we're getting closer and closer to the end. :O The unique challenge in the second half here has been working with the newly-emotional, newly-vulnerable Seto. I didn't want to completely dismantle the character we all love and turn him into something unrecognizable, but his trademark sarcasm and arrogance definitely had to be lessened, at least where Serenity is concerned. Once I realized that, I was sort of sitting there asking myself what was left. xD The solution seemed to lie with looking at the Seto we see in the series when he's having a rare, tender moment with Mokuba. When you take that version of him and add an element of romantic love, I hope you end up with something like what's represented here. As protective as he is, I think his version of tenderness would come across as anxiousness for her safety. Also, as new as all of this is for him, I think he would come across as dignified and a little shy. The end result seemed a little Edward Cullen-y, but I guess that's not all bad, even if I am Team Jacob. :P

* * *

1 month later...

* * *

Over the time she had spent in the Kaiba mansion, Serenity developed something of a routine, and it always began the same way: waking up slowly as the sunlight streamed in through her picture window, illuminating the flowers that had started blooming in the garden outside. Though she found - especially as she entered her third trimester - that she was waking up more and more often during the night to go to the bathroom, she still enjoyed leaving her curtains open and awakening to the morning light pouring in.

However, one particular morning at the beginning of August held something different.

Even in a deep sleep, Serenity felt the gentle sensation of a pair of lips touching her forehead, and she began to drift back to reality. As she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Seto sitting on the bed beside her.

"Good morning," he said softly. "Did you sleep well?"

She nodded.

"What time is it?"

"It's early; I'm sorry. You can go back to sleep in a little while. I just wanted to show you something before I leave for work."

"That's okay," Serenity replied, still blinking sleep out of her eyes. If it was so early that Seto hadn't even left for work yet, it was certainly much earlier than she was accustomed to rising. Sure enough, as she looked out through the half-open blinds, she saw that the daylight was still hazy and bluish.

As Serenity lifted her head off the stack of pillows and leaned up, she immediately felt Seto's hand on the small of her back, helping to push her into a sitting position. Though she was certainly capable of moving around on her own, she was getting to a point where she was happy to take any help she could get. The smallest movements - ones that had seemed inconsequential not so very long ago - had become unexpectedly tiring.

"Are you feeling alright?" Seto asked, almost anxiously.

"I'm fine," she replied. "I'm just sleepy and I have to pee. What do you have to show me?"

Seto paused.

"It's actually sort of a surprise," he admitted. "We finished it late last night."

"We?"

Though she knew that the "we" in question must consist of him and Mokuba, the situation was still getting stranger by the minute. She couldn't imagine the two of them having the time to take on a project that wasn't work-related, and nothing pertaining to KaibaCorp had ever been relevant to her. Besides, why was the project - whatever it had been - a surprise?

"It was a collaborative effort, you might say. But you'll see in a minute. Would you like a hand up?"

"Mmhm."

Serenity took Seto's hand and allowed him to help her ease out of bed. Once she was standing at her full height and had gotten her balance, she stretched her arms above her head, but more carefully than she would have before the pregnancy. She was always conscious, with every movement, not to overextend and risk something tearing. Though the bleeding had gone away fairly soon after she left the hospital and hadn't come back, her doctor had told her not to take any chances, and she was determined to take the advice to heart.

"Just let me go to the bathroom really quick," she said, suppressing a yawn.

"Are you alright - I mean, you're awake enough to walk by yourself?"

"I'm fine," Serenity assured him, laughing a little. "I do this five hundred times every night, all by myself. In the dark, too."

As she went to the bathroom and repeated the same routine that she did at least once every few hours, she felt a warmth rising like a bubble in her chest - the kind that threatened to spill over into giggles. It still struck her sometimes: the way that the normally stoic, sarcastic Seto Kaiba fussed over her and held her hands and tried to carry her everywhere almost felt like a silly dream. When she finally emerged, he was leaning against the doorpost, looking anxious.

"Can the surprise wait long enough to wash my hands?" she asked.

Seto glanced at the time on his phone, and Serenity wondered if he was joking. However, his expression seemed serious enough.

"Yes, if you do it quickly," he finally replied.

Resisting laughter all over again, Serenity washed her hands with the fancy peach-scented foam soap Mai had brought her a few visits back.

"Okay, I'm ready," she announced, taking a robe off a peg on the wall and sliding her arms through. "We're not… like… going to have to go somewhere outside, are we?"

"No, no," Seto said quickly, smiling a little bit himself. "Just upstairs, and down the hallway."

"Okay…"

Serenity took Seto's extended hand, feeling childlike as she followed in his footsteps out of her room and through the corridor behind the spiral staircase. Momentarily, she wondered how they were going to get upstairs if they were walking in the opposite direction of the stairs themselves, but it was at that moment that she noticed what looked like the shiny brass doors of an elevator.

"You've taken the elevator before, right?" Seto asked.

"No…" Serenity admitted. "I'm not even sure I knew that you had an elevator."

But, of course, they did. It wasn't as big as the ones in office buildings or hospitals, but the two of them could stand side-by-side comfortably. As Serenity watched Seto press the buttons and they started to rise up, it felt more and more dream-like still. It was becoming harder by the minute to remember that they were still in the same mansion where she had spent the previous five months.

"Feeling alright?" Seto asked, seeming to notice the change in her expression.

"I'm fine, I promise," she replied. "It just feels so strange, when I really think about where I am and who's here with me. As many months as I've been staying here, the feeling still has a way of coming over me out of the blue and making me wonder if I'm going to wake up if I pinch myself."

Seto eyed her cautiously, as though seeking assurance that the feeling she described was a good one. Instead of trying to come up with the right words, she simply squeezed his hand and smiled.

They soon came to a stop, and Seto reached for the button that would part the doors. Before he pressed it, however, he paused and gave her a shy smile.

"Before we go any further, I need you to close your eyes."

Serenity nodded, albeit hesitantly, and did as he asked. Once she had, she heard the sound of the doors parting, and Seto gently took her hand and led her across the metal threshold into a hallway that had the same plush carpeting as her bedroom one floor below.

"Okay, we're almost there," he said. "Just a few more steps. And... open."

When Serenity opened her eyes and took in the space in front of her, she very nearly fainted.

She was standing in the middle of the most incredible, carefully furnished and lovingly assembled nursery she had ever seen in her entire life. It had beautiful floor-to-ceiling picture windows like the ones in her own room, but these were adorned with pink satin curtains that matched the thick vertical pink and cream stripes on the wallpaper. The furniture - from the dresser to the changing table to a gorgeous, spacious crib - was all a dark, polished walnut. As she looked around, she quickly identified several of her favorite baby shower gifts: Mai's chest of dress-up clothes and Téa's ballerina teddy bear were both on prominent display.

"Do you like it?" Seto asked softly.

Serenity, who felt tears gathering in her eyes, managed to nod.

"It's perfect," she said softly, gently letting go of his hand to wander further into the room. "It's amazing. How… how long have you been working on it?"

"We started about a month ago - that day I took off from work," he admitted. "The furniture and decorations all arrived at once, but we were able to take our time with each step after that. The biggest challenge was getting the crib assembled. It came in a lot of pieces."

Serenity turned around, a mischievous grin coming over her face.

"I never would have imagined you as a carpenter," she marveled.

"Trust me, he's not."

And with those words, Joey stepped into the room.

It was as though time stopped.

Serenity gasped and rushed toward her brother in what felt like slow motion, throwing her arms around his neck.

" _Joey!_ " she exclaimed, her tears now running freely down her cheeks. "You _knew_ about this?!"

"Knew about it? I've been in here teaching this jackass how to use a wrench for weeks now," he said, his voice muffled by Serenity's hair. "I was pressed into service the night I brought you the sandwiches. I'll never forget the look on his face when he stopped me in the hallway and asked if I knew what an Allen wrench was."

Serenity pulled back and looked back and forth from one of them to the other.

"You've been working on this together?" she asked in disbelief.

"Well, that depends on what you mean by 'together,'" Seto said, giving Joey a sidelong look. "Some of us are more inclined toward _manual_ labor whereas others among us have an eye for finer things, so naturally, tasks were delegated accordingly - "

"Oh, _stop_ ," Joey cut in, making a face. "Just because you can't tell the difference between and electric sander and a power drill…"

Serenity could only laugh, the bubble of joy in her chest feeling like it was on the verge of exploding.

"I thought it was perfect before, but I had no idea," she said, gazing around and taking in the combined sight of the two men beside her - whom she loved so intensely it was nearly painful - and the delicate luxury and attention to detail contained in every aspect of her surroundings. "The fact that both of you both did this for me and my baby - together - is incredible. How did you possibly keep it secret?"

"It was tough," Joey admitted. "There were a couple of times I left your room and went out the front door then snuck back up the back stairs."

Serenity shook her head and wiped away a few stray tears.

"Join us for breakfast," she urged him, taking hold of both of his hands in hers.

Joey hesitated, then shook his head.

"I gotta get to the work site, sis," he replied.

And for once, Serenity knew in her heart that it wasn't just a lame excuse to get away from Seto - he was telling the truth. She also realized in that same moment that Seto had arranged for the big reveal to take place so early in the morning not because he had to be at work at any particular time, but so Joey could be there to share it.

"Okay," she relented. "But you'll be back soon, right?"

"Always."

With that, Joey held her close for a moment and kissed the top of her messy hair. Serenity could smell sawdust and coffee breath as she leaned into his neck, and she thought about how it was the polar opposite of Seto's cool, minty mouthwash and aftershave smell. How could she love them both so intensely, with all of her being, when they were as diametrically opposed in nature as it was possible to be?

Serenity decided that she didn't care, as long as she could have both of them, all the time, always. And for the first time, it was starting to look like that might be possible after all.

"Come on," Seto said softly, taking hold of her hand as Joey walked out the door. "We'll come back up later, but you need to go back to your room and lie down. I'll have someone bring us breakfast."


	25. We're still two blocks from the hospital

Hey world! I'm alive! I'm also so, so sorry for the delay. I don't really have a good excuse, but I'm glad to be back and I'm going to try not to do that again. This isn't the _longest_ installment, but it's an important bridge between phases of the plot, if that makes any sense. Yay for getting to the exciting part!

* * *

Serenity blinked sharply, the pool and its surrounding lawn chairs suddenly coming back into focus.

"I'm sorry, did I fall asleep again?" she asked, turning her head to face Seto, against whose chest she was reclined. "I don't know what's got me so tired. It's not like my life's very stressful right now."

"Sleep as much as you want," he replied. "You're probably not sleeping very well at night; it is your third trimester."

Serenity laughed, leaning her head back so that it rested on his shoulder.

"I love that you still read so much about babies, but it's a little embarrassing that you know more about what to expect than I do."

"I've always been sort of a know-it-all. Call it a character flaw."

Serenity laced her fingers through his, watching as a breeze rippled the surface of the saltwater pool.

"It's okay. After all, you sort of _do_ know it all."

As she took in the beautiful summer afternoon, Serenity regretted a little bit that the bedrest had caused her to miss out on the pool that summer. She comforted herself with the notion that it would only be seven or eight months before she would get another chance. It felt strange to think about a time in the future when she wouldn't be pregnant and she would get to come and go as she pleased. Whenever she started thinking along those lines, she had to remind herself that she would still get to live in the Kaiba mansion and Seto and Mokuba would still be in the picture.

Something about it felt surreal.

"Isn't it crazy that less than two months from now, I'll be my regular self again?"

"It's coming up fast," Seto agreed.

"There's so many things I can't wait to do."

"Like what?"

I want to eat sushi, go shopping, drink lattes, and cook in your kitchen!"

"Really?" Seto asked, sounding surprised at the last one.

"Definitely!" she replied. "Cooking used to be one of my very favorite things. Especially baking things like pies and cakes."

"Well, I don't really have much of a sweet tooth, but I'll try anything once," Seto said. "And it will be kind of nice to have someone cooking for me because they want to, not because I'm paying them to do it."

"Just seven short weeks," Serenity sighed. "I'll be on my feet again and baking you a birthday cake. Chocolate with chocolate frosting."

* * *

It wasn't even twenty-four hours later that Serenity's back started hurting.

She was sitting up in bed working on one of the last few puzzles in her sudoku book when she first felt it - almost like there was pressure near the base of her spine, right above the hemline of her pajama pants. She glanced over at Mai, who sat in a chair by the window reading a magazine on an E-reader.

"Hey Mai?"

"Hmm?"

"Could you look at something for me?"

Mai nodded and got to her feet, walking over to the bed.

"What's up?"

"My back's really hurting, and I'm sort of wondering if I bumped up against something in the bathroom last night. Can you look and see if you see a mark or anything?"

"Sure. Can you roll over?"

Serenity laughed a little, but then winced.

"Maybe. Hang on."

She carefully maneuvered herself over onto her side and lay still while Mai pulled up the hem of her pajama shirt up a few inches.

"Hmm," the other woman observed, leaning in. "I don't _see_ anything. What does it feel like?"

"Sort of like someone's poking their finger into my back. Are you sure there's not a bruise or anything?"

"I swear I just see a little bit of a red indention from your pajama pants. Are you sure they're not too tight? Maybe that's what it is."

"Well, everything's too tight these days," Serenity replied. "But these are my favorite pair, and I've never had any problem with them before."

Serenity rolled back over on her back and stared up at her ceiling for a minute.

"Should I give it a little time and see if I feel better?" she asked. "It doesn't feel that bad, but Seto's got me so freaking paranoid. What if something's come loose in there? It seems like things have been going too smoothly lately."

"Well, we could always get a second opinion," Mai suggested. "Isn't Mokuba home?"

"Good idea; let me text him."

It wasn't like Mokuba was any kind of expert on pregnancy or babies or anything like that, but Serenity figured he could at least tell her if she were overreacting. Truth be told, she was sort of counting on him to do just that. If two people told her that everything looked normal, she wouldn't feel bad shrugging the whole thing off, taking some tylenol, and going back to her sudoku.

Leaning over and picking up her phone, she typed a quick message.

 _Hey - can u come down here for a minute? I feel kind of weird._

Serenity bit her lip, wondering if it was just her imagination or if the pain had intensified a little since she first began to feel it. She shifted to her side and some of the pressure seemed to lessen, but the dull ache didn't go away.

About that time, Mokuba appeared in the doorway.

"Hey," he said nodding briefly to Mai, who stood against the wall, and then taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "What's up?"

"My back's hurting a little bit," Serenity said. "It's not going away and it's making me a little nervous."

Mokuba sighed and stood back up just as quickly as he had sat down.

"Okay - guess we're going to the hospital."

"Wait, what?" Serenity stammered, momentarily caught off-guard. "Can't we just wait it out a little and see if it goes away? I mean, it's not _that_ bad, I'm just a little sore."

"I'm afraid not," Mokuba said. "I'm on strict orders from my big brother. He basically made me swear an oath that if you ever got anything worse than sniffles while he wasn't here with you, I would take you straight to the hospital."

"Ugh, I feel like that's overkill for a backache. Mai, back me up, won't you?"

"I don't know," the latter replied, looking hesitant. "Maybe the kid's right. You don't want to take any risks this late in the game. Like you said, things have been going so well…"

"Well, that settles it," Mokuba said, already headed toward the door. "Sit tight; I'll go grab my keys."

* * *

As Mokuba wove in and out of traffic, Serenity shifted her position in the passenger side of the Porsche. She took a deep breath and asked herself for the third or fourth time if it was worth mentioning to Mai or Mokuba how intense the pain had gotten - after all, they would only panic and call Seto, who would panic even worse.

 _Did it really that much matter, if they were already heading to the hospital anyway?_

As though in response to her thoughts, Mai leaned up from the backseat and put a hand on her shoulder.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"...not great," Serenity finally admitted, having decided that it wasn't worth it to try to lie. "It's gotten sort of… _stabby_."

"Oh my God, do you think you're having the baby?"

As Mai said the words, Serenity felt her stomach plummet. She saw Mokuba's hands tighten on the wheel.

"Don't talk like that!" he exclaimed. "We're still two blocks from the hospital!"

"Well, _are_ you?" Mai demanded again.

"I mean… I don't _think_ so."

"That's it, I'm calling Seto," Mai announced. When Serenity started to protest, she held up a hand as though to block it out.

From where she sat in the front seat, Serenity could hear the faint sound of ringing.

"Hey Kaiba - no, it's Mai - _yes_ , I called you on purpose. Geez. Serenity gave me your number, it was months ago. Hey, will you shut up for a second? I'm with Serenity now. Mokuba and I are taking her to the hospital."

There was talking on the other line, but Serenity couldn't tell exactly what Seto was saying. Trying to figure it out was sort of a welcome distraction, though, as the pain was starting to come in waves of intensity.

"Hey, hey, calm down," Mai said. "Her back just hurts. We're doing this more as a precaution than anything. It's not even like her water has broken or anything yet."

At nearly that exact moment, Serenity felt a popping sensation and grabbed Mokuba's arm where it rested on the gearshift. He glanced over at her, wide-eyed, then turned to look into the backseat.

"Um… Mai? Interesting you should say that, because… uh…"

"Holy _shit_ ," Mai shouted, holding the phone away from her ear for a minute and leaning up to look down at Serenity between the seats. "Hey - Kaiba - Seto - just get to the hospital. Yes! I promise Mokuba and I are taking care of her. But get over here. Bye."

Mai ended the call and leaned up between the two seats, looking down into Serenity's lap with an expression of shock.

"Um, stay calm," she coached feebly, sounding far from calm herself. "We're pulling into the hospital now. Everything's going to be fine. Do you want me to call your brother? Yeah, that's what I'll do. I'm calling your brother."


	26. A room in labor and delivery

Alone in his building's express elevator, Seto pounded a fist against the gold-toned metal of the doors. It wouldn't make it go down any faster, but he felt like he had to do something, _anything_ \- that is, anything over than shift his weight nervously from foot-to-foot and listen to his heart pounding and Mai's words repeat on an endless, maddeningly loop through his mind.

 _Hospital? Back Pain?_

But they had barely hit the seven month mark!

Though Seto's logical brain - the one on which he had relied in nearly every situation in his life up to that point - reminded him that although premature, a baby born in a proper hospital setting would be plenty viable anytime during the third trimester, his autonomic nervous system and emotional brain operated on another track entirely. His heart continued to pound - if anything, even faster - and hands started to feel sweaty, so he clenched and unclenched his fists a few times and rubbed his palms on his jacket..

 _This was not what they had planned_ \- well, to whatever extent they had planned any of this.

Serenity was supposed to sleep and laugh and read and eat healthy, high-protein, high-iron meals until the day her 40th week started, then go into a comfortable, predictable labor with plenty of time for a big epidural and professional supervision through every moment of the process.

It was supposed to be easy and follow the rules.

 _Hadn't they paid their dues already?_

As the elevator hit the ground floor, Seto physically pulled the doors apart and hit the floor of the lobby running. A few people turned and looked, but he didn't even bother to make eye contact. He simply kept putting one foot in front of the other, pounding across the marble tiles, until he was somehow under the building in the executive parking deck. Diving into his red convertible, he gunned the motor, hoping nobody was in his blind spot because he didn't have the time nor the will to turn around and back properly.

As Seto pulled out into the sunshine, squinting, he felt his anxiousness start to evolve into something more akin to cold, hard panic.

But, as he reminded himself, what should he have expected?

This is what fucking happened when you started caring about someone, wasn't it? When you held their hand and ate and ice cream and listened to them make plans about baking you a birthday cake.

He cared Mokuba, after all, and every childhood sickness, every misadventure, every stupid argument, had been a nightmare.

He had cared about his biological father, at some point in time, and he barely ever even got the chance to know the man.

He had cared about his mother, too… and it was painfully clear how that had ended up.

What little he remembered about the day of Mokuba's birth flashed through his mind in bursts as he wove in and out of the crowded lanes of traffic, and he gritted his teeth from the way the memories stung. His mother's cries, his father's frantic voice, the doctor's solemnity as he passed a needy, squirming baby across the bed where a woman lay still.

Seto's phone rang again, and he almost dropped it in his haste to answer it.

 _Mokuba._

"I'm five minutes from the hospital, what's happening?" Seto demanded, not bothering with a hello.

"They took her back into a room. Mai went with her, and Joey just got here a minute or two ago because the construction site where he's been working is just around the corner. He went to find them, but I said I'd wait here for you," Mokuba explained in a rush.

"Okay - but how is _she?_ "

"Oh. Well... as we were getting here, she said that the pain in her back had started to feel sort of… 'stabby.'"

"' _Stabby_?'" Seto demanded. "What the hell does that mean?"

"I don't know," Mokuba admitted. "But as soon as we got out of the car a nurse near the door put her in a wheelchair and took her to a room like the one where she was last time. They told me that I could wait for you in the waiting room on the second floor."

"Okay, okay. I'm about two and a half minutes away, but call me the second you hear anything."

Seto didn't bother to hang up, he simply threw the phone into his empty passenger seat, floored his car, and rocketed into the right lane. He ended up cutting off a blue sedan - and the person honked - but Seto cared so little that he nearly laughed.

The hospital was in sight.

Somehow, this time, there was a parking place right in front of the emergency entrance. Seto might have called it fate, if he believed in things like that. Of course, he didn't, so he just shook his head at his luck, swerved in the space, and vaulted over the closed door of the car. The seatbelt was no hindrance, considering that he'd never bothered to fasten it in the first place.

"Hey - Seto!"

He felt a burst of shock at being jarred from his intense focus, but he suddenly realized who was calling his name.

"Mokuba! Do you know anything else?"

"Nothing," his brother admitted, jogging up beside him as he approached the doors. "They've got her in a room in labor and delivery. We're really just waiting now, I guess."

The worst, most frightening part of that was what he hadn't said, and that was the thing that they were waiting for: a baby that was getting there eight weeks too early. Not just too early to thrive perfectly on her own, either, though she obviously was. She was also getting there too early for Seto to be the right kind of father - the right kind of _person_ \- that she somehow was going to expect him to be.

Eight more weeks probably wouldn't have made that much of a difference, at least where the second part was concerned, but Seto was beginning to realize that he had been counting on a miracle to happen and some kind of switch to flip during that time and make him into a good father.

Now, it seemed, he had lost his chance.

The two brothers burst through the doors to the hospital, and one of the nurses - who apparently either recognized Seto from Serenity's previous stay or had been warned about what to expect - pointed to the left. Not even taking time to acknowledge the gesture, Seto sped up. They rounded a corner haphazardly and narrowly missed a cart of medical supplies; somewhere in the background, a nurse scolded them.

"Two-oh-three, two-oh-five…" Mokuba panted, watching the numbered rooms go by. "Oh, wait, here it is!"

And suddenly, there they were.

There _she_ was.

Seto felt all the air leave his lungs and his head go light and numb as he saw Serenity lying in the elevated hospital bed facing the door. Her face was red and sweaty and a few locks of hair that hadn't made it into her messy bun clung to her cheeks. From each of her earlobes, two oversize diamonds still sparkled.

When she saw him in the doorway, her eyes lit up too.

"Seto," she whispered in relief, holding out her arms.

"Serenity," he breathed back, suddenly starting to run again.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was aware that Mai and both of their brothers hovered awkwardly beside the bed, but as Seto lunged across the empty space that separated him from Serenity, his vision narrowed into little except a tunnel of light with her at the end: the ultimate goal, the ultimate finish line.

He was on the bed beside her in no time at all, his arms tight around her waist while hers hugged his neck.

"You're here," she whispered in his ear.

"Of course I'm here."

Serenity may have been wearing a strange, boxy hospital gown and had an IV line dangling from one of her arms, but she smelled the same way she always did: herbal shampoo and chapstick and peach-scented lotion. Her soft arms also felt the same way they did on all the sunny afternoons in the mansion's downstairs master bedroom, locked around the back of his neck where his hair disappeared into his collar.

For the first time since his phone rang at the office, Seto felt himself take a breath that extended all the way into the deepest part of his lungs.

 _It might be okay. They might have a chance after all._

As the pounding of his heart slowed in the safety of Serenity's tight embrace, a trace of mortification began to sneak back into Seto's conscious mind. He imagined Joey's dumbstruck and scandalized expression searing into his back and Mokuba and Mai's smug smiles. This was exactly what the latter had wanted and the former had dreaded: he was bearing his heart on his sleeve, admitting with a gross display of need and desperation and _weakness_ that this woman was probably the only thing anchoring him to surface of the earth, gravity be damned.

Defying his instincts, he hugged her more tightly.


	27. I just want her to be okay

I know this is terribly, horribly late, and I'm sorry to get unreliable right here at the end. That said, when you guys hear why, you're probably gonna shit: my life has gone nuts because of a real, actual baby! Not mine, but my brother and his girlfriend's. They just moved into town near me and told me they're expecting on October 25th, _Kaiba's birthday and the original due date of the baby from this fic!_ Totally crazy. Anyway, it's been weirdly fun to watch an actual pregnancy follow the timeline I've painstakingly tracked for this fic. It's also sort of creepy that I know exactly when they're going to hit every milestone before their doctor even tells them. xD

That said, there's only a few chapters left of this one - and I'm going to get it wrapped up before I become an aunt for this first time this fall! Enjoy the first chapter ever written in counterpoint (going back and forth between two different characters).

* * *

As he watched Seto Kaiba collapse onto the hospital bed, throw his arms around Serenity, and cling to her as though she were the only person left on earth, Joey Wheeler felt a cocktail of strange emotions. If he was being honest, the feelings that washed over him were so intense and so entangled with one another that he almost wished he could physically step back and pull them apart to process them one at a time.

First, there was the confusion.

 _Did Kaiba really care that much about Serenity or the baby? Where was this drama coming from?_

As soon as that thought had run its course - though it didn't bring him to any satisfactory conclusion regardless - Joey felt his emotions progress naturally into something more akin to rage. There was a brief moment when at the innermost core of his being, he wanted nothing more than to grab the collar of the arrogant, piece-of-shit human in front of him, drag him to his feet, and break his nose. This man who had spent so many years tormenting him - and had apparently found the way to top it off with the _ultimate_ torment: tricking his sweet sister into believing he, Seto Kaiba, was worthy of anything she had to give.

Joey may have done it, too… if the doubt hadn't come so suddenly.

Of all the emotions, the doubt hit the hardest of all, and it was the one that lingered: because as Joey continued to stare at the scene in front of him, he found himself beginning to wonder if the man embracing Serenity really _was_ that same person he had known - or thought he knew - for so long.

For as long as Joey had been acquainted with Kaiba, he had only one idea of who he was: a spoiled, self-absorbed nightmare whose biggest priority was to feed his ego, and couldn't care less whether anyone except himself - and for whatever reason, Mokuba - lived or died. The only thing he had ever seemed to enjoy was putting people down who were already at a disadvantage compared to him; which, of course, was most of the world, given Kaiba's absurd level of wealth and privilege.

However, as Joey stared, wide-eyed, down at the man who gently rubbed a comforting hand across Serenity's back, he began to wonder if that was really the same man.

But what did that mean, anyway? What did it matter?

Around that time, an older woman in a lab coat leaned inside the door and knocked lightly on the frame. Joey watched as Seto and Serenity separated and looked up.

"Good evening, Miss Wheeler," the woman said, smiling gently.

"Dr. Park!" Serenity exclaimed in relief.

The doctor nodded and gave a small smile of acknowledgement.

"I hear your baby's showing up a little ahead of schedule," she observed. "I'd like to take a few measurements and see if we can't figure out what the afternoon and evening are going to hold."

Joey felt a hand on his back, in the valley between his shoulder blades.

"Let's give them some time," Mai suggested softly into his ear.

Joey was struck by a sudden sense of helplessness and fear, but he managed to nod. Giving Serenity one last smile, he allowed himself to be ushered out of the room. Though leaving his sister alone with Seto Kaiba in her moment of need went against every instinct he had, he had heard the tone in his girlfriend's voice: she wasn't suggesting, she was ordering.

And damn it, she probably had a point.

Sighing deeply, Joey nodded and followed Mai out of the room. They walked in silence for a few minutes, until she took a seat on a bench a short way down the hall and gestured for him to sit down beside her.

"Did you see that?" Mai asked, inclining her head back toward the hospital room they had just left.

"See what?"

"The way Kaiba threw his arms around Serenity like that. I've never seen anything like it - well, definitely not from him, anyway. He's _obsessed_ with that girl."

Joey raised his head to give her a sidelong glance.

"You really think?"

"Can't you tell?" Mai demanded. "When he saw her, his world stopped turning."

"But he's still _Kaiba_ ," Joey sighed. "Do you think he's really got it in him to put his whole world on hold for another person? He looked convincing and all, but I don't feel like gambling my baby sister's happiness on that - his track record with other people is pretty damn pitiful."

"It's a little late to be hedging bets," Mai replied gently. "You don't have much choice but to trust him at this point. And for whatever it's worth, I've seen a lot of men look at a lot of girls - and he would give her the moon."

It was around that time that Mokuba wandered over.

"What's up?" he asked, leaning against the wall. "You look stressed."

" _Stressed_?" Joey repeated. "My sister's going into labor eight weeks early without anybody to coach her or take care of her except for some asshole CEO of a gaming company. Is there any particular way you think I should look?"

"Hey now," Mokuba replied. "First of all, she's got like two doctors and three nurses going in and out. And not to sound like a jerk or a know-it-all or anything, but... I think you're pretty grossly underestimating how much my brother loves Serenity."

"You really mean it?" Joey asked, peering up at Mokuba with a look that was mostly skepticism - but a tiny little bit of hope.

"You don't see them together all day every day like I do. He's more himself around her than anyone else I've ever met. It didn't happen overnight, but she kept pushing, and _boy_ did it pay off. When he walks into a room where she is, it's like he comes alive. If anything happened to her, Seto would be devastated. Nothing can happen to her - he wouldn't let it."

Joey nodded and took a slow breath.

"I hope you're right. I mean, I guess I hope that. Fuck, I just want her to be _okay_."

Mai put her arm around Joey and pulled him against her shoulder, and Mokuba took a seat down on the bench beside them.

"We might be here awhile, guys," Mai observed. "Anybody know any good jokes or long stories? Card tricks?"

* * *

Serenity was in more pain that she had been in her entire life.

The worst part, she felt like, was the way it would start to go away but then come back with a vengeance. It almost seemed like if the pain was nonstop, she would eventually become numb or get used to it or something. However, instead, she would feel a moment of relief and sink into it, only to be overcome by a fresh wave of agony that felt all the worse because she had had the momentary respite to remind her of what normal felt like.

To make matters even more uncomfortable, she was in what seemed like the most compromising position she could imagine: on her back, with her legs splayed out between two stirrups. She had known to expect it, of course, but it felt no less vulnerable as a result.

Seto sat on the edge of the bed next to her, and whenever the pain grew too intense - or she simply just got overwhelmed by the experience altogether - she would squeeze the hand he rested on her knee. She could tell that there were times she squeezed so hard that the circulation was getting cut off, but he never complained.

"Well, I do have several pieces good news for you," Dr. Park observed, peering up from between Serenity's knees. "First of all, more premature deliveries are breech, and that doesn't seem to be the case with yours. Also, premature babies are usually smaller, so they usually come faster. And that _does_ seems to be the case. Believe it or not, you're just a couple of centimeters away from being ready to push."

"But what about my epidural?" Serenity asked, giving the doctor and then Seto a worried look.

Dr. Park's brow furrowed.

"That's the one piece of bad news… unfortunately, you're already too dilated for an epidural. By the time it took effect, the baby would probably already be here and you'd be lying in the bed numb for no reason. I'm sorry, Miss Wheeler."

Serenity laid her head back on the pillow behind her and sighed. Seto tightened his hold on her hand, and she felt another hand touch her shoulder.

"Hey," Dr. Park said comfortingly. "It's going to be okay. Your partner and I will be here for the whole thing. You're stronger than you think."

* * *

Out in the hallway, Mokuba looked up briefly from his phone and looked around. Joey lifted his head as well, as though anticipating an update.

"Seto says the baby's going to come faster than usual," Mokuba observed. "Apparently preemies are smaller and sometimes that happens."

Joey and Mai exchanged a look.

"Well, that's a good thing, right?" Mai asked, looking a little lost.

"Yeah…" Mokuba murmured, scrolling through what appeared to be a rather long message. "All except she doesn't get her epidural."

"What does that mean?!" Joey demanded.

Mai grimaced.

"No numbing meds… she's going to feel everything."

"Fuck!" Joey exclaimed, looking back at the closed door and biting his lip. "Is she… is she gonna be okay?"

As luck would have it, at that exact moment, a shriek of pain sounded from behind that same closed door. Almost as through driven by instinct, Joey jumped to his feet - only to be immediately tugged back down to the bench by Mai, who had grabbed a handful of his shirt. Though her gesture was rough, her expression was sympathetic.

"I know how you feel, babe," she said said, giving him a grimace. "But she has everything she needs. All we can do now is wait."

Joey took a deep breath and sunk his head into his hands.

"Too much more of that, and I'm going to be the one who needs the drugs," he groaned.


	28. A kinship for Seto

I know, this one is terribly, horribly late. I should probably quit making excuses, but for what it's worth, I do HAVE pretty good excuses. I spent my summer traveling out of the country, moving two states over, and starting a new job. So, I have been busy. I know, though, it's still annoying. It's for reasons like this that I don't take financial gifts/donations from readers; then I would feel even worse than I already do about dragging my feet on new content. xD

That said, this is a big chapter! And I'm excited about it. :) After this, it's just going to be one more chapter and then the epilogue. The end is in sight! I can tell I'm going to be proud of this one when it's a finished product. I may even do something cheesy like print it off and put a hard copy on my bookshelf. What the heck.

* * *

"Mokuba, will you _please_ quit showing me your hand?" Mai sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Oh - my bad."

Mokuba lifted his cards up below his chin, causing Mai to groan.

"You know, they still have to be in a place where _you_ can see what you've got. Geez, kid, have you ever played poker before in your life?"

Joey looked up from his own hand and chuckled, but the gesture was halfhearted at best - more or less just a slight motion in his shoulders.

"Isn't it the dealer's job to take people's money?" he observed. "You should like it when the players are bad."

"Well in case you haven't noticed, we're playing for pennies… and I've taken so many of his that I've actually started to feel guilty."

Mokuba sighed and rolled his shoulders.

"You can have as many of my pennies as you want. I'm just worried about Serenity. How long has it been since we've heard something?"

"Probably not as long as you think," Mai observed, glancing down at her phone. "It's only been about forty-five minutes since we left her room."

Joey shook his head, the sick feeling of dread he had spent the better part of the last hour trying to suppress starting to creep its way back up to the surface.

"Could have fooled me. I feel like we've been here all night... and it's barely even starting to get dark out."

The three sat in silence for a moment, gazing alternately at the clock on the wall in front of them, the occasional doctor or nurse who walked past, and the fading daylight as it drifted up the wall beside them.

However - all too suddenly - the monotony was disrupted by the sounds of footsteps and beeping pagers.

First, it was just two nurses who rushed by, speaking quickly to one another and pulling masks over their faces as they ran. Half a second later, there was an orderly with a clipboard, then - almost like some kind of ill-fated grand finale - a doctor fully scrubbed for surgery jogged by pushing a rolling cart, the pager attached to his belt flashing wildly.

Somewhere in the background - barely audible over the pagers beeping, the squeaky wheels of the cart, and the voices of the medical personnel, Joey barely heard the sound of a fuzzy announcement droning over the loudspeaker:

 _Code blue in room 207. I repeat, code blue in 207. All available personnel in labor and delivery, please report._

Later, he would wonder if it had been the familiarity of the room number in the announcement that first made him jump to his feet, but even he knew that he had already taken off running before the speaker cut on at all. At the end of the day, it had been nothing more or less than the sickening feeling that came with knowing that _something_ _just wasn't right_ that led Joey to take off down the hallway in the footsteps of the doctors who had just passed.

Of course, as he had known from the beginning, he wouldn't have far to run, because the door of the room in question had been just out of his line of sight the entire time: room 207, where his baby sister lay on her back in a bed, going through what had to be one of the most fearsome and painful experiences of her life without him beside her.

The scene he encountered once he reached the doorway was chaos, with about six people and their associated equipment pushed into a room meant for four people at most. His heartbeat stalled at the realization that it was impossible to make out Serenity at all amidst the mass of monitors, hoses, and green and blue-clad hospital staff. Even so, he gave it his best effort, making an attempt to stand on his tiptoes trying to see above the crowd.

Joey's next instinct was to start shoving, and Mai and Mokuba - who he realized around that same time had followed him - exchanged a nervous glance.

However, to Joey's surprise, before he could so much as throw an elbow into the crowded space, the sea suddenly parted of its own accord: to push a startled-looking Seto Kaiba out.

Then the door slammed behind him.

A sudden silence overtook the hallway, and Joey, Mai, and Mokuba looked at one another in fearful silence, as though begging someone to make some kind of suggestion or offer some kind of comfort.

Kaiba only stared at the floor in mute shock.

Joey was the first one to harness any kind of emotion or use it to produce action. Unfortunately - as was often the case where he was concerned - the emotion in question was anger, and it was going to end up directed at the wrong target.

"What's happening in there?!" he demanded, putting his hands on Kaiba's shoulders. "Why aren't you with her?"

Kaiba didn't look up.

"They threw me out," he said in a hollow voice, as though he couldn't believe it himself.

Joey shook him.

"What, you didn't you fight them?"

Finally - whether from the shaking or simply indignance at whatever he seemed to think Joey was implying - Kaiba snapped out of his stupor and looked up, swatting Joey's hands away.

"You think I didn't try that?" he demanded. "The doctor who came in with the cart told me that if I made a scene and they had to call security, I'd just be wasting valuable time and putting Serenity's life on the line. After that, I gave in and let them do their job - I hope you can forgive me."

Seeming to lack the energy to cast Joey the look of scorn that ordinarily would have accompanied that sort of exchange, Kaiba simply turned away from the group and headed over to the bench where they had been sitting and playing their mindless game of blackjack just moments before. Sweeping a sea of abandoned cards and pennies out of the way without bothering to see where they landed, he took a seat and sunk his head into hands, sighing deeply.

Joey felt a sudden sense of regret. He wasn't sure if it was strong enough to call remorse, but it was enough to make him look over at Mokuba, silently asking him to intervene somehow.

The latter shrugged helplessly, but he still turned to walk toward Seto.

"Hey, bro…" he started, taking a seat on the bench. "Do you think - "

Interrupting him, Seto looked up abruptly and focused his gaze on - of all people - Joey. To all of their shock, his eyes were red and looked as though he were fighting tears.

"Has it always been like this?" he demanded sharply.

"Has… what always been like what?" Joey asked, caught off-guard.

"Loving her," Seto replied simply. "Has it always felt this way? Like you feel every bit of her pain, maybe even worse than she does? Felt like if anything happened to her, you might die? You'd _want_ to die?"

Whatever annoyance (or semblance thereof) that Joey had been feeling before suddenly ceased to matter at all, because in that moment, his heart was overcome by a real physical ache, stemming from perhaps the strongest and most agonizing sense of empathy, camaraderie, and resounding pity that he had ever felt for anyone before in his life.

And he was feeling it for _Seto Kaiba._

"... yeah," he finally responded, his eyes wide and his own voice suddenly thick, too. "It has always been just like that. And it's rough."

Still feeling a kinship for Seto so intense that it was like a fist closed around his heart, Joey walked over to the bench. Without having to be asked, Mokuba scooted so that Serenity's brother could occupy the spot where he had been.

Seto leaned his head back against the wall behind the bench and took a deep breath.

"Her blood pressure spiked - 165 over 106. That's when they called in the extra doctors and nurses. They told me that I had to get out of the way so they could hook her up to something - as though she didn't already have enough wires and tubes coming out of her."

There was a moment of silence as the others considered what he'd said.

"I mean, that's high, but is it like, emergency-high?" Mokuba asked gently, leaning forward. "I've heard of people having blood pressure over 200 and coming out of it okay. Hers doesn't sound that bad when you compare it to numbers like that."

"Yeah, but when there's a baby involved, it's a whole different ball game," Mai said grimly from where she stood nearby.

Seto nodded wordlessly.

Joey looked sideways at the man beside him, silently trying to decide what he should say. The tiny part of him that had still blamed Kaiba for the fact that they were in this situation at all had shrunk away to practically nothing, and in its place, he felt a strange trepidation.

With his passionate words and his uncharacteristic show of emotion, Kaiba had shown them his hand in a truer way than Mokuba ever could have during a poker game. Kaiba - _Seto_ \- _loved_ Serenity, with a kind of intensity that Joey had never seen come from anyone but himself. Something about it was surreal, but it was also the epitome of realness. On the rare occasion that Joey had ever felt mature enough to admit that he may actually have to share Serenity with someone else someday, all he had ever wanted for his little sister was somebody that would love her as much as he did - or even more, if that were even possible. Someone who would care for her the way she deserved to be cared for.

And suddenly, Seto Kaiba was sitting in front of him, making it abundantly clear that he fit that bill in spite of Joey's emotional baggage and hang-ups where he was concerned. Seto, for his part, had left no question as to which side he was on, and it was his - _Joey's_ \- turn to get his own perspective in line with their new reality.

 _How was he supposed to treat a Kaiba who was more of a teammate... or even family member?_

Well, maybe a good place to start would be sharing the kind of childhood memories that families talked about.

"You know, she's already been through a lot, and she's never given up or lost the fight," Joey offered, knowing that what he was saying might sound lame (but at the same time hoping he would build steam the longer he spoke). "She got diagnosed with her progressive corneal degeneration - the thing that was going to make her blind - when she was six. That was right in the middle of our parents' divorce, so our lives were already totally upside down. Just imagine, you're six years old, and you find out that your family's about to get split in half right down the middle… and on top of that, you also may not be able to see by the time you're thirteen or fourteen."

Seto looked over at Joey and nodded slowly, but he didn't speak.

Joey went on.

"Serenity never lost hope, though. To be honest, I think I probably cried about it more than she did - not that I ever let her see it, of course. Every morning, when we would wake up and walk to the bus stop together, she talked on and on about how beautiful the world was and how happy she was that she got to see it together with me that day - even though we didn't know how much longer either of those things were going to last. The seeing part or the together part."

Joey sniffed, but he bit his lip and managed to keep talking.

"I guess I just wanted you to know… she's a trooper. And a fighter. And even when things have been at their most rotten, she's never decided to lie down and give up. And she's not going to start today. I want you to believe that."

Joey clasped Seto's shoulder for the second time that day, but that time, it wasn't angry or vice-like. It was a gesture of solidarity.

And that time, Seto didn't swat it away. Instead, he looked back and nodded.

"I do believe it."

The moment between them might have lasted longer, but the deafening silence around them was split again - and again it was by a nurse. It was one of the same two who had walked by before, but this time, she was stepping out of Serenity's room and drawing her mask back down below her chin.

"Mr. Kaiba," she called in their direction.

Seto leapt to his feet.

"Congratulations. You're a father."

The object of her address had taken off running down the hall before the last word had even left her lips.

Joey glanced over at Mai, but he kept his seat.

There was a new family - of three - that needed some time to share together.


End file.
